


With Tiger and Devil Chained

by Gyhl



Category: Kingsman (Movies), Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Agent and Inquisitor storylines, Anal Sex, Dark, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Edge Play, F/M, Foursome - F/M/M/M, I swear there's actual plot and it's not wholly smut, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Manipulation, Masochism, Multi, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Praise Kink, Rough Oral Sex, SW:TOR Spoilers, Sadism, Sexual Slavery, Sith!Harry, Sith!Merlin, Slavery, Threesome - F/F/M, Threesome - M/M/M, Torture, Unhealthy Relationships, Vaginal Sex, and I slightly altered some canon events there, breath play, canon blind friendly, electric play, like 'don't try this at home' levels, on either side there, there's like five sex scenes total, tho might be a bit more Master/slave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-10 21:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 50
Words: 59,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20142484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gyhl/pseuds/Gyhl
Summary: Having spent most of his life a slave, Eggsy's Force Sensitivity awakens after a particularly stressful encounter with Dean. In accordance with a fairly recent law, he's sent to the Sith Academy to become Sith or die trying.





	1. A Note Before We Begin

Can you go into this canonblind? Absolutely, on either side. TOR people should be aware that I went with the vanilla timeline only and didn’t take the expacs into account. 

Sith are not good people, they are not nice people. They revel in war and negative emotions. So saying that this is a dark fic with Sith!Harry and Sith!Merlin, I am not saying that the situation I tossed Eggsy into is ‘dark and will get better’. I’m saying that it’s dark everywhere and not gonna be healthy. Is Harry still a more forward-thinking gentleman savior? Sure, just… he’s a Sith, which greatly alters how the rest of that works.

Sith generally use the Dark Side of the Force. This has actual physical effects on the user, although they _can_ be hidden. The most common is the shift in eye color to gold as they fall more into the Dark Side. It can go beyond that so dark corruption in the skin and red eyes.  
To see the visual difference, here's Darth Nox (as I play them) [without the corruption](https://images.plurk.com/3ptwuDoOlqJZ7IS6HaOmPm.png) and [with it](https://images.plurk.com/46VMhaaIZErTwxRaXuZsxx.png). This is what the [eyes](https://images.plurk.com/1TEYlRNuofbJNkneya2LOf.png) look like when they're golden.

The hierarchy in the Empire is basically: the Emperor > Dark Council > Sith > Military > Civvies > Slaves

If you’re not human or a member of the sith (species), you’re an alien (unless you’re a chiss and a useful one). Aliens are rarely more than slaves. And if you’re a slave, that’s pretty much it; you’ll likely never rise out of that. Unless you show Force sensitivity, and only because it’s a law now.

**A Few Things**

A [map](https://images.plurk.com/AeumtGZYxFZVbrPZlhjnO.png) with story locations marked (I forgot to mark Ziost. It’s the top left of the green section).

Sith (and Jedi) robes are based heavily on traditional Japanese clothing; most commonly [kimono](https://www.kimono-yukata-market.com/user_data/master/packages/default/img/sakura-com/wear/wear-w04.png) and [samue](http://baerndal.eu/hogetsu/images/order/samue/samue_w_l_1050422.jpg)

_Time & Calendar_

While seconds/minutes/hours are the same as real life; weeks, months, and years are different.

5 days = 1 week  
7 weeks = 35 days = 1 month  
10 months + 3 fete weeks + 3 holidays = 368 days = 1 year  


The Galactic Standard Calendar for the year is as follows:

New Year Fete Week  
Months 1 - 6  
Festival of Life Fete Week  
Months 7 - 9  
Festival of Stars Fete Week  
Month 10

Now… somewhere in there are the 3 holidays. All I can find is that they do _not_ coincide with the Fete Weeks and they exist outside of the months. I also can’t find _which_ of the canon and EU holidays they are. They’re in there; I just have no idea where.

ON WITH THE SHOW


	2. Chapter 2

_When the time comes,_  
_let loose a tiger and a devil;_  
_but wait for the time_  
_with the tiger and the devil chained_  
_-not shown- yet always ready._  
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

It was raining. It was _always_ raining on Dromund Kaas. The Sith apprentice let his head tip back, letting the warmth wash over his face. On his homeworld, the rain had always been cold, miserable. Or maybe that was simply the memory of an unpleasant time being twisted by his new life.

He had little time to consider further as the ship he’d been waiting for descended on his Master’s landing pad. He waited, exercising a certain amount of learned patience, as the ramp lowered and their guest descended. Their guest was a member of Imperial Intelligence, one who answered to the Minister of Intelligence alone.

“Keeper,” he said by way of greeting, “my Master is upstairs awaiting you.”

Keeper eyed the apprentice for a moment, his eyes hidden by rectangular, cybernetic glasses. The glasses had three metallic arms coming off of them. One ended in a mic just below his lips; the other two were attached to his face, just over his eyebrows. No one was certain if he had actual eyes hidden behind the metal lenses or not.

The young man’s records came up automatically as the glasses scanned him. Included in the information was the apprentice’s birth name and homeworld. Keeper frowned slightly, making a mild adjustment to the file. There was little reason for Darth Vindicta’s apprentice to be tied to his lowborn past.

“Thank you, my Lord,” Keeper said neutrally, his own natural accent hidden - and hidden well - by his learned Imperial accent.

The apprentice turned and led Keeper into the stronghold. His Master had several, but this was his personal favorite. It overlooked Kaas City; it overlooked the first real place he’d ever considered _home_.

The door slid open and the apprentice stepped inside. “Master,” he said with a somewhat abbreviated bow. 

Darth Vindicta was stirring a drink; there were two others beside it. He cast a glance at his human apprentice. He was pleased the boy had only announced their entrance into the room. A standard month ago, the boy would have announced Keeper’s arrival as well, something he would have sensed on his own.

Vindicta was a pureblood sith from a line that reached far into the past. His skin was the color of rust, of the sands of Korriban. He had fairly small bone spurs: a simple V-like shape in the center of his forehead; another across the lower part of his nose; and a pair of soft ones that began over his nearly white eyes and followed along the line of his cheekbones, sharpening as they moved lower on his face. He had a cartilaginous beard, like so many of his pureblood brethren, and it came down in points on either side of his chin and the back of his jaw.

He was rather fastidious in his appearance. His blood red hair was always brushed back, never a single hair out of place. He adorned his face with golden jewelry, something that was done by both sexes among the purebloods. He wore a pair of golden earrings that came down into sharp looking points and four nose rings. One of them, attached at the bridge, was large, intricate, and form-fitted to his face; it went from the base of the ‘V’ on his forehead to the matching one on his nose. Two of them were simple nostril rings and the last was a septum ring which perfectly matched his earrings in design.

The only real detractant to his appearance was a scar that began high on his forehead, cut through his left eyebrow, and ended well below his eye. An enemy had nearly blinded him; Darth Vindicta had killed the man for his trouble. He wore the scar with the same pride a military general might wear a service ribbon.

“My Lord,” Keeper said as he entered the room.

He offered the Sith a polite bow and then stood at stiff attention; protocol demanded nothing less. There were spots of rain on his otherwise immaculate uniform - there was no stopping _that_ from happening - but he’d clearly taken a moment to dry his head. That was another thing no one was certain of; whether or not Keeper actually was bald or just kept himself that way in order to further mask his true identity.

“Keeper. Would you care for a drink?” He didn’t wait for a response, simply flicking his wrist and sending the man’s drink to him. It hovered in front of Keeper, in perfect stillness, until the enhanced human took it. “Join us, apprentice.”

The apprentice stepped forward, summoning the drink to himself and trying hard to not look pleased at the inclusion. Sith did not deny themselves the glorious breadth of emotion the way the Jedi did, but it would hardly do for his Master to be embarrassed by an apprentice acting like an overexcited akk whelp.

“I was unaware we were celebrating, my Lord.”

Vindicta laughed softly. “My old friend, you would _know_ if we were celebrating. This is simply… a drink with a colleague.”

Keeper made a soft sound that was the closest he would come to disagreeing with the Sith. At least, in front of his apprentice. Had it been just the two of them, Keeper would have pressed the matter. Instead, he turned to the reason for his visit.

“I assume you’ll be wanting my report.”

“Of course.”

The apprentice let Keeper’s words wash over him. His Master was hunting down some rogue Sith. Or maybe just _some_ Sith. There was always _some_ variety of drama happening behind closed doors. If Keeper had learned anything of value, he would - no doubt - be the one sent after it. He actually hoped Keeper _had_; he might need to go off world to… fetch, or kill, or whatever else his Master needed done. He might be permitted to take a side trip to his homeworld, to see the wife and son he hadn’t seen for almost half a standard year.

Keeper’s briefing turned into a steady drone, a decent backdrop while the apprentice’s mind drifted to his wife. Vindicta had met her once, just before their child had been born. He didn’t think his Master had - before or since - ever stepped into so poor a home. The pureblood had told him, on the return trip to Dromund Kaas, that once this situation was resolved, they _would_ be moving his family to Kaas City.

In his mostly relaxed state, with his mind elsewhere, his eyes picked up on something; almost a brief shimmer. It was enough to snap him back to full attention. He set his drink aside and his hand fell to the hilt of his lightsaber. He _sensed_ nothing, but he’d been so certain he’d _seen_ something.

Keeper’s attention turned to him, his brow knitting with curiosity as his visual implants scanned the room. “Something amiss, my Lord?”

“I thought I saw…”

Vindicta waved him off. “I would have sensed an intrusion, apprentice,” he said dismissively.

The apprentice nodded, but he didn’t relax. Yes, his Master had years of experience on him. Yes, he was still just an apprentice and not even a Lord. But he’d seen _something_. He was _certain_ of it. There was someone or something in the room with them, and it was managing to hide from all three of them.

He took a step closer to his Master, saying nothing and letting his hand fall away from his lightsaber. He stayed alert, focused. He heard nothing of Keeper’s words, his eyes searching for that shimmer again even as he forced himself to remain still.

And then he saw it again, that brief shimmer. This time, it was less than a metre away from his Master. He didn’t think; he just reacted. He pushed the pureblood away, both with his hands and the Force. Vindicta was thrown back against Keeper, who staggered under the unexpected weight of the Darth.

Vindicta heard the lightsaber spark to life before he saw it; the bright crimson blade protruding from his apprentice’s chest. He’d taken the blow meant for his Master. The blow that _would_ have found its target if his apprentice had listened to him.

Rage roared within the Sith as he pulled himself to his feet. Keeper switched on his shields, protecting his cybernetics from the storm he knew was coming. Lightning swelled in front of Vindicta’s apprentice and they heard the scream of the assassin caught in it. Their stealth shielding broke, and suddenly Keeper could see the assassin. He could sense the young man, too. He made note of the technology, scanning the assassin even as the lightning tightened on him.

Vindicta strode toward the assassin, his hand coming up as he moved. The assassin clutched at his throat as he was lifted by the Sith’s will. Vindicta ripped the hood from his would-be killer’s head. He recognized the young man, enough so to be well aware of _who_ had ordered this attack. It did _not_ calm the rage within.

“I shall have to remember to thank your Master for sending me this gift,” he drawled, ripping the stealth generator from the assassin and tossing it to Keeper.

He closed his hand, slowly choking the life from his victim. He heard the delicate bones snap and the last rattling breath before the human simply hung, suspended in midair by the Force unseen. Vindicta snapped his hand to the side; the assassin’s body was flung across the room. And then he looked down at his fallen apprentice.

“I missed it,” he said softly. “I fucking _missed_ it.”

Keeper stayed where he was, keeping his shielding in place. The Darth’s voice had dropped to something softer, yes, but he knew well the rage that stormed within the pureblood. While he doubted that it would be permitted to break free without an actual target, Force Lightning and cybernetics did not good bedfellows make.

“I don’t care _what_ it takes, or how long: I am _going _to kill him for this.”

Keeper heard the rage just beneath the soft words and scanned the assassin a second time. A name came back, and Keeper stiffened as he realized what Vindicta must already know; that the Darth who’d sent the assassin had been his old Master.

“My Lord, might I remind you that Darth Basileus _is_ a member of the Dark Council?”

Vindicta looked at Keeper, his pale eyes cold and hard. “Only if _I_ might remind you that I… don’t… care. If this were a brazen power play, if my aim was his seat on the Council, _then_ it would be a problem. This?” He laughed mirthlessly. “This is _expected _of an apprentice when his Master’s time has come.”

Keeper nodded once. Vindicta wasn’t wrong in his assessment. In-fighting was such a commonality among the Sith that the Dark Council paid it no mind as long as it was personal. But as a member of the Dark Council, Darth Basileus would be well protected. It could, conceivably, take years before Vindicta had his revenge.

But then, didn’t they say that revenge was sweetest when served cold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Keeper](https://images.plurk.com/5h7B6SZhbuAAFNdng1ajCl.png)
> 
> [Vindicta](https://images.plurk.com/3seBB9SyVyipo3gMI2bBKS.png): Vengeance/Revenge/Punishment/Deliverance
> 
> Basileus: King/Emperor


	3. Chapter 3

It was his third beating of the week. He kept his hands flat against the wall as the strap came down on his bare back again, and again. He bit down on the pained cries that rose; he didn’t want to give the fuck the satisfaction of hearing him cry out.

His back and legs were well marked with the scars from years of beatings. His owner never touched his face, however. The only markings there were the three dots above and below his left eye, and his owner’s brand. _That_ started just above his lips, and went down to his chin, under his jaw, and down his neck, stopping just above his chest. He’d cried for a week after he’d been branded; he’d been five at the time.

“Oughta sell you to a fuckin’ hutt for all the trouble you are.”

“Hutts like twi’leks and pussy,” Eggsy said with calculated insolence. “Guess that means they’d buy you, at least.”

Eggsy tensed for the next blow to come, but his slave collar sparked to life instead. His nerves burned as electricity was shot through him. He fell to his knees, screaming and unable to stop himself. He’d never _been_ able to keep quiet once Dean lost it and switched on the collar. It was off again in less than a minute, but Eggsy could only shake as his nerves continued to jump.

“Now listen to me, you little _shit_,” Dean hissed as he leaned over his slave, “that’s gonna be my biggest fuckin’ buyer in there, and _you’re_ gonna make it happy. I don’t care if it wants to fuck you with all six of its tentacles, s’long as it comes away purple-fuckin’-parallel or whatever the _fuck_ they call it when they’re happy!” He stepped back, and sighed angrily. It had been _years_ since he’d dealt with the gree, and longer since he’d dealt with one not trying to kill him. “You do good… an’... I’ll let you have twenty minutes with your mother.”

Eggsy nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He tried to smooth out his light brown hair. It was just long enough for him to pull most of it back, but it still tended to stand on end after a shocking. He wasn’t vain about it; it just tended to turn some customers off.

“Twenty minutes?”

“If you don’t get movin’, it’s gonna be ten.”

Eggsy brushed himself off and went down to the room Dean’s gree client was in. He really, really couldn’t stand the cephalopods. There was just something about the texture of their gray skin that made his own skin crawl. That… and the fuckin’ brain sac that just flopped against the back of their heads.

It regarded him with black eyes, two pairs of tentacles crossed over its middle. It wore a long robe and rested on two much thicker tentacles. Eggsy tried to not shudder, and just think about getting twenty minutes to see his mum.

“So… Dean wants to make sure you’re… purple parallel?”

“This makes for orange sphere,” it said calmly.

Eggsy laughed nervously. He’d encountered two gree before this one. He knew their language dealt with a lot of color and geometry shit, but he was never really sure what the fuck they were saying. It didn’t help matters that translator droids were pretty much useless. Ones programmed by the gree thought in gree patterns; Basic was a difficult language to convert that into.

“Yeah, we all… we all orange sphere here.”

“Then let us commence with purple vertex.”

Eggsy gave it what he hoped was a saucy grin. “Gonna have to show me where your purple vertex is, mate. Though, gotta admit, I kinda figured it’d be grey.”

It stared at him, unmoving. It blinked its black eyes twice. Slowly. “Grey vertex? I am white shift.”

Eggsy shook his head. “Look, I don’t… fuckin’ speak Gree. I just gotta make you purple parallel. Dean wants purple parallel.”

It blinked its large eyes slowly again. Eggsy thought that might be a sign that it was trying to put its thoughts into something closer to Basic. “You are here for white vertex?” It motioned with one of the smaller tentacles to Eggsy and then itself.

Eggsy shook his head and stepped closer to it. He reached out and touched the tentacle, trying to not shudder. He ran his fingers along it. “I’m here for whatever you want or need,” he said in a husky voice.

It stiffened instantly; Eggsy snapped his hand away. Either it didn’t like being touched by non-gree… or it got what he was here for and didn’t want it. He thought he saw its bigger tentacles shifting, stretching a little behind itself as if it wanted to move away from the sex slave.

“I require purple vertex; you are green obtuse,” it said in a rush. “If orange tangent is to be had, grey pentachoron must apply red parallel.”

Eggsy just _stared_ at it. He had no idea what the fuck _any_ of that meant. He shook his head. “I don’t…”

“This is white perpendicular.” It made a sound that Eggsy thought could be an irritated sigh. “I must commence purple vertex with grey pentachoron. With Dean Baker.”

Eggsy tipped his head a little. “So… wait… Dean’s the grey… penta…”

“Pentachoron.”

Eggsy nodded and then continued, slowly. “And you want _him_ all over your purple vertex? That’ll make you purple parallel?”

It shifted in something of a nod. “Blue tangent!” it yelled with something that sounded almost like relief.

“I’m takin’ that as a yes.” He backed away from it. “Your grey penta-whatever’ll be right here to get all up on your purple vertex.”

He headed back down to Dean. He had _no_ idea what the fuck they’d just said to each other, but that was Dean’s problem now. He stood just outside the door for a moment before pressing the chime.

The door slid open and Dean shot him a dark look. “That was quick. Too fuckin’ quick.”

Eggsy held his hands up. “I’m green obtuse, whatever the fuck that is. And that means I can’t make its purple vertex all parallel.” He paused, an insolent little smirk rising. “But I guess you’ve got a red parallel that’s gonna make it _all_ kinds of purple parallel.”

“The fuck does that even mean?”

Eggsy shrugged, dropping his hands. “Not a fuckin’ clue; I ain’t a damn translator droid. All I got out of it, is that it wants _you_ and not me.”

Dean grumbled irritably and started to push past him.

“Dean… my mum?”

Dean eyed him for a moment and went to the wall terminal. He punched in a pair of codes. “You’ve got ten minutes.”

It rose in Eggsy to argue with him, to demand the twenty he’d been offered. But he knew where _that_ would end. Dean would just cancel out the temporary permission he’d enabled that would let Eggsy in to see his mother. So he just nodded and left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Eggsy](https://images.plurk.com/1W0ZN2QQirPZKboJWv33O.png)
> 
> Gree is not an exact thing. Much of what’s canon about their language is very vague. But using what we have, this is approximately the conversation Eggsy and the gree had:
> 
> E: “So… Dean wants to make sure you’re… (successful)?”  
G: “I’m pleased to hear it.”  
E: “Yeah, we all… we all (happy) here.”  
G: “Then let us commence with our business.”  
E: “Gonna have to show me where your purple vertex is, mate. Though, gotta admit, I kinda figured it’d be grey.”  
G: “Grey vertex*? I don’t understand.”  
E: “Look, I don’t… fuckin’ speak Gree. I just gotta make you (successful). Dean wants (a successful result).”  
G: “You’re here to negotiate?”  
E: “I’m here for whatever you want or need.”  
G: “I’m here to trade; you aren’t. If we’re going to profit, the criminal must come talk to me.”  
E: “I don’t…”  
G: “This is irritating. I must commence trade with the criminal. Dean Baker.”  
E: “So… wait… Dean’s the grey… penta…”  
G: “Pentachoron.”  
E: “And you want him all over your (business)? That’ll make you (successful)?”  
G: “He understands!”  
E: “I’m takin’ that as a yes. Your grey penta-whatever’ll be right here to get all up on your purple vertex.”
> 
> * - Grey Vertex. I don’t have a real translation for this. Vertex is a relationship between two people/groups/things (Purple Vertex is trade or business; white vertex is negotiation). Grey is harder to nail down a meaning for. The only canonical phrase we have is Grey Pentachoron. Given the meaning there, I’m assuming it has something to do with crime in general. So it’s probably coming across as something like “planning a crime”


	4. Chapter 4

Eggsy took the lift upstairs, to the penthouse suite Dean lived in. He hesitated outside the door and hit the chime. He gave it a slow count to five before going inside, not wanting to waste a second of their short time. Michelle had _just_ gotten into the foyer when he went through the door.

Michelle had the same set of dots above and below her eye. Her brand, however, was a wavy line underneath her right eye and had three characters just below it. Those characters matched the bottom three of Eggsy’s own brand; it was Dean’s personal mark.

She wasn’t wearing much. Dean kept her in little more than what a hutt slave was allowed; a bikini with sheer cloth attached to the front and back of the bottoms, except Dean allowed her to wear a sheer top when he wasn’t home or renting her out. She had no shoes, but she wasn’t in chains. Dean didn’t need chains to keep her locked in, or Eggsy locked out.

Her eyes flickered to the security sensor on the wall; when it didn’t light up, when Eggsy didn’t start screaming in pain, she turned a bright smile on him. “Baby!”

“Hi, mum.” He went over to her and held her. He hadn’t seen her in over a month. “I only got ten minutes.”

She shook her head against him. “That’s fine. That’s… it’s better than nothin’, yeah?” She pulled back from him just enough to put her hands on his face and look at him. “Do I wanna know what he had you do?”

“Sent me to fuck a gree.” He grinned. “I think it just wanted to make its deal and leave.”

She laughed softly and guided him to tip his head forward; she pressed her forehead to his own. “I’ve missed you.”

He hummed softly. “Yeah, missed you, too.”

She pulled back from him and felt his arms over, looking him over as she went. He didn’t look _too_ bad. He had bruises on his abs from someone’s fingers, marks on his arms from being hit with… _something_. She didn’t bother moving him so she could look at his back. His back was _always_ bruised or lashed or some-fucking-thing. 

He was looking her over just as she looked at him. She wasn’t standing like she was in pain. And while she had faded bruises on her arms, she didn’t have any on her face. But Dean was usually careful to not hit them in the face. Not because it would attract any attention - they were his fuckin’ _property_ after all - but because it made some customers shy away.

“You don’t think it was… offended… that Dean tried to…?”

Eggsy shook his head. “Dunno. Didn’t seem to like being touched, but it didn’t act angry. Worst issue we had was the language thing.” He shrugged. “He ain’t makin’ you do nothin’ too terrible, is he?”

“No, he…” She bit her lip and looked away from him. “He’s been. Letting me just stay up here the last couple weeks.”

Eggsy frowned. “Why?”

She shrugged uncomfortably.

“Mum?”

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered. She looked up at him and forced a smile. “But this could be a good thing, yeah? If it’s a boy, he might set me free… and, and then I could just _live_ here. I could see you more.”

Eggsy shrugged slightly. “Hope it is.”

He tried to not let his anger show. He tried to swallow it down. Because if his mum had another _girl_, just a squirmin’ brat who wouldn’t be a fuckin’ _heir_… He didn’t like to think about it, about hearing his mother’s screams as Dean had taken the baby away from her. He’d tried to come up into the suite, tried to protect them… but the security system had set his collar off and he’d been powerless to do anything. He’d been vaguely aware of Dean stepping over him before passed out from the pain, and he’d woken up in his own room. But neither slave knew what Dean had done with the baby, only that he’d come back without her. And that had been eight years ago.

Eggsy heard the warning chime and sighed. Half of his time was up. How could ten minutes feel so long when he had some fucker’s cock jammed down his throat but so fleetingly short when he was being allowed to see her? Stars, he _hated_ the fucker.

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, petting at his head.

They spent most of their remaining time just holding each other. They heard the second warning chime three minutes later, and then Eggsy kept his eyes on the security panel until it started flashing.

“Gotta go,” he whispered and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

He held onto her hand as he backed away from her. He held on until he was too close to the door for her to keep holding on without setting _her _collar off. He stepped back and let the door shut between them. Two more steps and he was outside of the security system’s barrier.

Five or six steps was all he would have to move her to get her out of Dean’s fucking grip. He’d never made it more than two through the barrier when it was active. Even if she ran at it, she’d never get through it, and he’d never get her out of it.

He watched her through the slit of a window for a moment longer before stepping into the lift and taking it back to the ground floor. His room was off to one side. He wasn’t housed with Dean’s other sex slaves, but that was because Dean used him for more than that. He was used for whatever the fuck his owner wanted at the time, or whatever he was being rented out to do.

He stepped into his room. He had a bed, an alcove with his entire wardrobe in it (three other pairs of nearly skin-tight trousers and one mostly unused shirt that was little more than a vest), and a broken down crate that served as a nightstand. There was a glass on it; it was less than half full of water. Everything was old and worn; it was his world.

He picked the glass up and drank the tepid water as he paced beside the bed. The anger he’d swallowed down was boiling up again and he tried so very hard to contain it. Because what good would it do? What good had it _ever_ done him in the last twenty years? Maybe if his father hadn’t left them. Maybe if they hadn’t taken the wrong transport at the wrong time. Maybe…

He whipped around, his anger flaring up beyond the boiling point, and flung the glass at the wall with a scream of anger. It shattered, glass spraying everywhere. His makeshift nightstand trembled and slid against the wall with a soft ‘thunk’.

The noise caught his attention and he looked around, trying to see what had made it. He sighed and shook his head.

“Hearin’ things,” he muttered and started picking up the shards of glass.


	5. Chapter 5

His lights switched on full. Eggsy groaned, rolling over to hide from the light. His body told him that it wasn’t morning yet. It wasn’t anywhere _near_ morning yet. He heard the comm in the wall chime.

“Wha’?” he slurred, still not awake.

“Get up.” Dean’s voice. _Always_ a pleasant thing in the middle of the fucking night. “Your mum wants to see you.”

Eggsy was instantly awake. “Mum?”

“Yeah, now get up here before I change my fuckin’ mind.”

Eggsy was up and running before he heard the comm close. The lift moved far too slowly for him and he bounced on the balls of his feet with nervous energy. It slid open, starting up again, and he silently willed it to move faster. He bounded off of it when the door slid open, without even a glance at the security panel. 

“Mum?”

She was in the lounge, her face was red from crying and Eggsy could see the already darkening bruise on her cheek. It had been over a month since she’d told him she was pregnant and she was already showing. Dean had - so _magnanimously _\- given her an actual shift dress to wear.

“Hi, baby,” she said quietly, without looking at him.

He went to her and knelt down. He cupped her face in his hands. “What is it?”

“We… Dean, he.” She looked up at Eggsy. “He took me to the, the medical center.”

Eggsy felt his stomach drop. “It’s a girl. Isn’t it.”

She nodded. “He said I could keep her… or you.” She shook her head. “I can’t… I can’t.”

“Shhh, shh, no, of course you can’t.” He took her hands and kissed them. “Tell him you wanna keep her. Tell him to sell me.”

She made a pained sound. “Baby…”

“Mum… she’s _his_. Maybe… having his own child being raised around him… Maybe he’ll start bein’ better to you. To her.”

She looked at him, her eyes on his, until she saw a shadow move. Her eyes jumped and she flinched. Dean was in the doorway between the lounge and bedroom.

“Decided?”

Michelle looked from Dean, to Eggsy, to the floor. How was she supposed to just… make that choice? Even if Eggsy had said to sell him… She _couldn’t_.

“Sell me,” Eggsy said without turning around, without taking his eyes off of his mother’s face. “She’ll keep _your_ baby. So just… go ahead n’ sell me.”

Dean wrapped his hand in Eggsy’s hair and hauled him up away from Michelle. Eggsy heard his mother call his name, and then he felt the wall as Dean threw him against it. He stayed where he was; he knew Dean was waiting for him to do something, anything.

“Got a buyer all lined up. He’ll be here in the mornin’.”

Eggsy took a slow breath. “Can I spend the time with mum? It’s… only a few hours.”

“No.”

Eggsy closed his eyes and swallowed down his feelings. Had he really expected anything else?

“Your mum’s earned herself one fuck of a beatin’. I told her she could have this talk with you before I saw to her.”

Eggsy’s hands tensed against the wall. “For _what_?”

“None of your business, _slave_.”

Eggsy could see Dean’s shadow moving. He knew the motions well enough to know the man was taking his belt off. “Dean,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Think of the baby, okay?” He slowly pushed back from the wall and turned toward him. “Beat me, alright? It’ll be jus’ as effective and you won’t risk your kid.”

“Get downstairs.”

Dean nodded and his droids took Eggsy by the arms and started hauling him, implacably, toward the lift. Eggsy saw Dean raise the folded strip of leather and bring it down on his mother; he heard her scream. He heard the blood pounding in his ears, he felt his heart racing.

And then it was _Dean_ screaming.

Eggsy barely noticed that he’d stopped moving. Dean’s droids were pressed up against either wall from him; smoke was rising from them and the smell of ozone filled the room. Michelle was staring at Eggsy, her jaw working as she tried to speak but failed.

It was a moment before Eggsy even registered _why_ Dean was screaming; before he realized that his hand was stretched out toward the man, purple-tinted electricity jumping from his hand to his owner. Surrounding him. Enveloping him.

He was _torturing_ Dean. With _lightning_. From his _hand_.

A dark smile started to form as he wondered how long he could keep this up; as he wondered how long _Dean_ would hold up against the electricity. But then the realization that he was _torturing his master_ broke through his anger and the lightning cut out just as quickly as it had come.

“Stars, Eggsy…” Michelle whispered. “Is he… is he…”

Eggsy went over to Dean, feeling half in a daze, and knelt beside him. Dean was in a pile on the floor, but he was breathing. Electricity jumped across Dean’s skin as the last remains of what Eggsy had done grounded out.

“Alive,” he said numbly. “Mum, you… you stay there. I’ll.” He pushed himself up. He felt so _weak_. Was it what he’d done? Or the shock of it? “I’ll call the medical center.”

“Baby…”

He shook his head. “It’s all on me. I’ll take the blame.” He went over to the holocom and dialed the medical center. He barely looked at the image of the woman who answered. “Need help at this location.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“My master… he’s been… electrocuted.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I dunno what happened.”

“Mm-hmm.” She clucked her tongue. “It’s required for me to alert the authorities in instances such as this. It’ll be easier for you if you tell me what happened.”

Eggsy shook his head. “I guess. I guess my collar overloaded or somethin’. He just started. Screamin’.”

“And were you angry at the time?”

Eggsy sighed. “He was beatin’ on my mum…”

“Is she his property?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah.”

“So, you attacked your owner for punishing another slave; do I understand you correctly?”

He lowered his head and tried to keep himself calm. “Yes. Look, why don’t you just send him some help.”

“There is a procedure to this. I’m just trying to help you avoid any severe punishment.”

“Like fuck you are!”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t appreciate the language, slave. Keep to your place and answer me with _respect_.”

Eggsy felt his blood boiling again, his blood pounding in his ears. Without even thinking, he brought his hand up and closed it. The woman on the other end clawed at her neck, her eyes widening in terror.

“Babe,” Michelle touched his shoulder.

He lowered his hand, her simple touch pulling him back from the anger within. He watched her for a moment and then his eyes widened. He looked back at the holocom; the line had been disconnected.

“I’m dead,” he whispered. “I’m so fucking dead.”

They heard the main door chime, but they stayed where they were. Michelle’s arms wrapped around him from behind and he covered her hands with his own. They heard the medics coming in from the lift.

The authorities weren’t far behind the medics, and Eggsy let them pry him away from Michelle. He let them bind his wrists behind his back and force him toward the lift. He looked over his shoulder at his mother one last time and then the door between them slid shut.


	6. Chapter 6

Eggsy had been in the prison cell for three days. Dean hadn’t been by, not to file charges or come after him or even just to threaten him. He wasn’t sure what the penalty for attacking two free people was. But considering one had been a medical tech and the other his master? He thought he might be lucky that he hadn’t just been shot dead.

On the morning of the fourth day, a woman was shown in. She wore a hooded, black robe that was embroidered with red runes. She was surrounded by guards; all but one bowed and stayed out in the main area. She sealed the door and, as she stepped in front of Eggsy’s cell, she pushed her hood back. Her eyes and hair were golden and her pale skin looked almost gray.

“I hear you threw lightning at your master… and Force Choked a nurse.” She dropped her hand and pulled her robe back enough for Eggsy to see the hilt of her lightsaber.

He bowed, feeling icy fear around his heart. They’d called in a Sith to deal with him. Oh, stars above, he was _fucked_. “Yes, my Lord.” He paused. “I didn’t mean to. I mean, I didn’t. I didn’t even know I could do that.”

“Is there any history of Force Sensitivity in your line?”

He shook his head. “No, my Lord.”

She nodded. “That is uncommon but not impossible.” She flicked her wrist and the cell’s energy screen dropped. “Come out.”

Eggsy stepped out of his cell and she walked around him. He felt her finger run along one of the marks on his back. He fought to keep from flinching from her hand. He knew what a Sith could do; he knew how dangerous they were.

“Do you fear me, slave?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

She made a softly pleased sound. “And do you hate your master?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Good,” she purred. “I want you to use that.”

Eggsy faltered. “How, my Lord?”

She motioned to her guard. “Hurt him.”

Eggsy startled. “My, my Lord?” He shook his head. “My Lord, I don’t want no more trouble.”

She laughed. The sound was musical even though it lacked any trace of mirth. “You’re not going to be in trouble. If you can show me what you can do, you’ll be in no trouble at all.” She smiled; it held both warmth and cruelty. “On the contrary, you’ll be on your way to Korriban. You’ll be an acolyte with the chance of becoming Sith.”

A disbelieving laugh was shocked out of Eggsy. “A Sith? _Me_?”

“Mm. The entry requirements have been… greatly lowered. Slaves who show Force Sensitivity are to be turned over to the academy.”

At least, that was true in Imperial space, and this was Hutt space. She’d assumed the only reason they’d contacted the Empire was to establish some sort of… relationship, probably for protection. Kafane was almost on the border of Imperial space _and_ mostly ignored by the hutts. If something ever happened, they had no one to really call for help. What better way to get a proverbial foot in the door than to give them a new acolyte?

Eggsy looked between the Sith, her guard, and back to her again. “What about my mum?”

“Is she a slave?”

He nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”

“If you survive your trials, you’ll become the apprentice of a Lord or a Darth. At that time… if you want to seize his property, that will be your prerogative. What’s he going to do? Cry to the Dark Council that a… gorgeous, virile, young apprentice stole his slave away?” She leaned closer, her lips nearly against his ear. “You could even kill him if you wanted. As slowly as your control allows.”

Eggsy hissed in a breath, his eyes falling on her guard.

“Or…” she said, stepping away from him. “I can leave. I can say it was a fluke and they’ll deal with you as they see fit.” She laughed. “I peeked; they’re going to execute you.”

“I don’t… I don’t know how I did it.”

She hummed softly. “I want you to reach down and feel the anger and the hate you have for your master. Take it, let it fill you.” She sighed pleasantly, feeling the anger rising in him. “Now, let it flow through you. Feel it pass from your heart into your arm, to your hand. Feel it around him.” She motioned sharply at her guard. “Make _him_ feel the pain and the fear your master visited upon you.”

Eggsy felt the pain in his hand as the lightning built up and shot at the guard. He felt something akin to triumph and pleasure as the guard was thrown against the wall by the purple-tinged electricity. He grinned, and then bit it back.

“Oh, go on,” she purred. “Be happy about it. We’re not _Jedi_, acolyte.”

“I thought… thought Sith wasn’t supposed to feel nothin' but hate.”

Oh,” she laughed silkily. “We feel many things.” She licked her lips, her eyes trailing down his brand, his chest, down to the ‘v’ of his hips and the tight trousers he wore. “_Many_ things.”

She turned and motioned for him to follow; the guard trailed after them. She took him out to the main desk and nodded, once. The guard captain went over to Eggsy and deactivated his shock collar. Eggsy rubbed his neck once it was off, savoring the feel of bare flesh. He could feel the scarring that had been burned into his neck from years of torture.

“So… you own me now?”

She chuckled and took him by the arm, leading him to a waiting transport that would take them to her ship. “I think you’d very much enjoy being _my _slave… but, alas, I do not.”

“Who does?”

“Technically, you’ve been seized by the academy for training. But as it stands, you’re a free man. Well,” she tipped her head to the side for a moment. “As free as anyone who isn’t Sith can be.”

“What do I call you?”

She hummed. “Publicly, you’ll refer to me as Darth Cupio. It’s a three day trip from here to Korriban, however, and I plan on having you in my cabin for most of it. In _there_, you will call me Tilde.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cupio: Desire/Long/Wish/Yearn/Crave


	7. Chapter 7

Korriban was hot, dry, and sandy. It had been the homeworld of the sith long ago and was now the ceremonial world for their tombs. There were constant excavations, secrets long forgotten unearthed by Darths. Well, unearthed by their servants, anyway. The tombs closest to the academy were used as training grounds for acolytes. And training on Korriban was a deadly contest to survive.

Eggsy had been given the plain, black shadowsilk robes of an acolyte to wear, and he wore them when he was in his lessons. But the moment he was free, he shed them. He was too accustomed to wearing only trousers that wearing anything more than the robe’s ankle-length skirt felt stifling in the heat.

He was propositioned more than once, and not just by other slaves-turned-acolytes. It wasn’t until one of the Sith sensed his reluctance and left him alone that he realized he was _allowed to say no_. Not that he did often; he found himself enjoying sex with the Sith far too much. It wasn’t just about getting through it until whoever he was with came. It was about pleasure, mutually given and received. It was about pain; about fear; about lust. And stars above, Sith could be creative; _Tilde_ could be creative.

He ended up in her chambers in the academy more often than he ended up in the barracks. He wasn’t naive enough to think she cared about him, but she was a _Darth_. If he had to sleep his way into an apprenticeship in order to save his mum and his unborn sister? He’d fuck whoever he needed to.

He had expected the trials to begin immediately. His cohort was made up of slaves, and he was the only human of the group; the rest were aliens. Didn’t that make them all expendable? Just training fodder for the cohorts made up of free humans and sith? He hadn’t expected the Sith to actually give them five months of basic training; to show them how to use vibroswords and basic Force abilities.

They were also given a _very_ abbreviated education. He learned during this training what Tilde had meant about only Sith being free; it was in the Sith code. It taught that peace is a lie, and that there is only passion; passion brings strength; strength brings power; power brings victory; victory breaks the true chains of slavery and brings freedom through the Force.

He learned it, quickly, and it was never far from his mind. Because one day, _one day_, his passion would lead him to true freedom. He could bide his time until then, as his leash changed hands from his Overseer, to his next Master, and on until he could break his chains and Dean lay dead at his feet.


	8. Chapter 8

Eggsy was on his way back to the academy. He was going at a jog, the heat from the sands baking through the soles of his shoes. He had a data pad in hand and was returning to the overseer’s office to turn it in. Apparently, fetching information that thousands of people had before was their idea of a trial.

He knew it wasn’t the information, itself, that was the trial. It was navigating the tombs, getting past the creatures around and inside, and the outcast acolytes who had run rather than face the trials. Cowards, the lot of them, and Eggsy had gotten decent at killing them from a distance with a well-formed shot of lightning.

He jogged up the ramp into the academy, slowing to a walk as he passed by the honor guard. They knelt as he passed. He and… every other student or Sith who passed by. Still, it felt good to be bowed to instead of the one bowing. He rounded the corner and started toward Overseer Harkun’s office.

“You, boy.”

Eggsy turned and saw a pureblood sith striding toward him. He wore some variety of silk, although it didn’t move the same way as the shadowsilk Eggsy wore. It seemed… sturdier somehow. Both shirt and trousers had the look of something tailored to the man. His blood-red cloak was pushed back to his shoulders and he did not wear the hood. Between his dress and his immaculate hair, Eggsy had the feeling that this pureblood was vain, even for a Sith.

A person - one Eggsy assumed to be the pureblood's apprentice - was just behind him. That one was covered in a closed black robe, their hood pulled low. Eggsy could just make out a thin, metal arm ending in a mic just below the assumed apprentice’s lips. It was enough to tell him they were cybernetically enhanced.

He offered the pureblood a polite bow. “Yes, my Lord?”

“Where are you off to?”

Eggsy nodded toward the corridor. “Overseer Harkun’s office, my Lord. I’ve just completed my second trial and I’m bringing him my evidence.”

The pureblood held out his hand and Eggsy surrendered the data pad. He was gonna be furious if he had to go back and do it all over again - Harkun was already on his arse enough anytime he was even a second late - but that would be fine. That would become fuel for the fire within.

“You’re one of the slaves, aren’t you?”

Eggsy scowled. He had a feeling that, no matter what he accomplished, no matter how powerful he became, he would always be ‘one of the slaves’. “Yes, my Lord.”

“Your name, _slave_.”

Eggsy bit down on an irritated sigh. There was using anger and then there was just being stupid. If he fucked himself over with this pureblood, it could mean exile or expulsion; a life of cowardice or a slow death. And he would take that slow death over living in the tombs with the _other_ outcasts.

“Eggsy, my Lord. Eggsy Unwin.”

The pureblood nodded as though he’d been expecting that. “I am Darth Vindicta.”

Eggsy stiffened and then had to bite down on a smirk. He knew _that_ name. Harkun was only ranting at all hours about how they would never be worthy of Darth Vindicta; how his only option was clearly going to be executing the lot of them. And Darth Vindicta had _asked his name_.

“Heard about you, my Lord.” He winked and offered him a saucy grin. “Anything I can do to up my chances with you? Maybe… somethin’ more private-like?”

Vindicta laughed softly. “Oh, you _are_ ambitious.”

“Jus’ say the word, my Lord. I’ll be there with bells on.” He paused, letting his grin grow slightly. “Or off, however you’d like it best.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, handing the data pad back.

Eggsy knew a dismissal when he heard one. He bowed and dropped the act as he started down the corridor again. The other four acolytes were just leaving the office as he entered. He tossed the data pad onto Harkun’s desk with a self-satisfied little smirk.

“And here I’d thought you’d died, _slave_,” the overseer spat.

“Nope, just chattin’ up my future Master.”

Harkun paused for a moment and then eyed him. It was happening _again_. Technically, the trials still had to be completed. But… if Darth Vindicta had _really_ made himself known to the acolyte, that was almost as good as him choosing his apprentice.

“Then I suppose you’d better be _impressive_.” He stood, an irritated sigh escaping him. He’d nearly been slaughtered twice by Darths opting to jump over traditional methods. He was _not_ going to risk it a third time. “There is another tomb.”

“Lemme guess,” Eggsy said, holding a hand up. “Go in, kill things, survive, get you the information you could get from the fuckin’ libraries. Come back or die.”

Harkun’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Watch your tone, _slave_.” Darth Nox had been like this, too. This same sort of… disrespectful, cavalier, lowborn… What did a _pureblood_ from a line like Darth Vindicta’s want with someone like this _slave _when he could have his choice of _any_ acolyte? He sighed internally. “But that is your task, yes.”

Eggsy picked up another data pad. “Back in a bit then.”

“Acolyte,” Harkun said, calling him by his actual title for the first time. His voice was soft, almost a conspiratorial whisper. “There is no killing _inside _the academy.”

Eggsy scowled at him. “No shit.”

“But in the tombs…” Harkun held Eggsy’s gaze for a moment and then shrugged. “Anything could happen. Do you understand me?”

Eggsy fell back a half-step, his head tipping slightly to the side. Harkun wasn’t… encouraging him to just kill the other acolytes, was he? Eggsy studied his face for a moment before deciding that yes, that was _exactly_ what Harkun was doing. That was hardly fair but… what about this was fair to begin with?

“Yes, Overseer,” he nodded.

“Good.” He jerked his head toward the door. “Then get out of my sight, _slave_.”


	9. Chapter 9

“Don’t say it, Merlin.”

Merlin, formerly Keeper and now the Minister of Intelligence, shrugged his cloak off. They’d been keeping an eye on Eggsy ever since Darth Cupio had reported finding him. “I have no idea what you mean, my Lord.”

Vindicta eyed him coolly. “I don’t believe we’ve come to the ‘calculated insolence’ portion of your training.”

In some ways, Vindicta could be a poor Sith. Like with his last apprentice. He had truly cared about the boy. It hadn’t been, as his old Master had more than once insinuated, an experiment. The boy’d had potential; potential which had been cut down so efficiently and brutally.

That day had haunted him still. The simple dismissal of his apprentice’s senses. The belief that he could never be harmed, not in his own stronghold, had been too great. He had allowed himself to be blinded by his own arrogance, and that young man had paid the price.

And then there had been the issue of the wife and son. Lee had been from what was still a neutral planet. There had been no complete census of the people there; no complete listing of every person’s location. Between that and his own blood feud with his old Master, Vindicta had - quite simply - lost track of them both.

Merlin had his own guilt to bear over losing the apprentice’s son. Between what Intelligence knew and what his cybernetics were capable of, he should have been able to track them down. It had almost been like someone had _wanted_ them to lose track of the woman and her son. Merlin was almost certain Darth Basileus had been involved in it.

“Harry,” he said softly, using the Darth’s given name… or, at least, the Basic diminutive of it.

They were alone, with only the ship’s droid aboard with them. It was one of the few places they could be just Harry, just Merlin; not Master and apprentice; not Darth and Minister. It was one of the few places the protocols required by their stations, their classes, their lives could be shed in favor of their feelings, their passions.

“Fear your Master, fear your apprentice, and you will be unstoppable,” Harry quoted.

“I thought there was more to power, to passion, than fear?” He put his hand in the center of Harry’s chest. “Haven’t we both seen your power grow since…?”

Since he’d sought out the Revanites. They taught to not fear the Light Side, but to use it. The hardest part had been learning to embrace the calm within. For his entire life, he had been taught that calm was the lie of peace. There _was _no peace within him, but there _was_ a center of calm, an eye within the living tempest. He had found it, exploited it, and now his power base rivaled that of his old Master.

Even still… Even with the steps both had taken to conceal their plots… their secret training… their life outside of the Sith and the politics therein, neither of them dared speak of the Revanites aloud. It was heresy, and such would not be ignored by the Council.

“What did you learn?” Harry asked.

Merlin sighed softly. “Enough. He and his mother ended up as slaves on Kafane. It is primarily an agricultural world. Despite being within Hutt space, it has avoided attracting much attention from them. Too poor for them, I suppose, and not enough exploitable resources. Humans squabble over it. One such is Dean Baker. Once a simple spice trader, he’s become a fairly high level member of that world’s society.”

Harry shook his head. “From spice trader to one of their more powerful people. How?”

Merlin frowned softly, his implants bringing up screen after screen. Important words and phrases highlighted for him as he scanned and read. “Ah, yes, I see. Baker has been named ‘grey pentachoron’ by the Gree Enclave. They’ve been trying to hunt him down for years now.”

Harry’s brow rose, and then he smiled coldly. ‘Grey pentachorons’ were the worst criminals in the eyes of the Enclave. “I’ve no doubt the Enclave would love to get their tentacles on him. They do not take the theft of their technology lightly.”

“Yes, but as he operates within Hutt space, there is little they can do about it.”

Harry nodded. “What can you learn about Baker in a week?”

“Harry, in a week, I’ll know more about Baker than he knows about himself.”


	10. Chapter 10

Eggsy was in the full set of robes for once. He had the hood pulled low over his face and his hands were inside the voluminous sleeves. He’d gotten up hours earlier than he’d needed to. He’d kicked Harkun out of bed, gaining a somehow both annoyed and pleased snarl from the Overseer. And then he’d gotten the information for the trial.

He’d collected the fragments Harkun had wanted already. But he hadn’t gone back. Not yet. This was the third trial and there were still four other acolytes alive. Eggsy had asked around. Sets of recruits were generally down to two acolytes by the third trial. Either they were all just that good or they were all rubbish.

But he was going to stand above them all; he was going to survive.

He heard the fighting start. He let his eyes slip shut, reaching out with his feelings to find his rivals. Three of them were working together. Smart. Very smart. He could feel the singleton creeping along, and Eggsy smiled slightly. That one had used his skills to learn to stealth himself with the Force, to be an assassin.

It wasn’t all that long before the stealthed acolyte crept into the chamber, showing himself as he approached the display. Eggsy could have killed him then and there, but he waited. And he watched. The other three were right on his tail. They both heard them, and the acolyte stealthed himself, fading from view. 

Eggsy waited until they were all crowded around the display of shards. The stealthed acolyte was just to the side of them. Eggsy had marked him and kept sense of him even after losing sight of him. And with a flick of his wrist, a cloud of dirt blew against the acolyte, revealing him to the other three.

They reacted to the perceived threat in their midst. Three-on-one is never a good set of odds for the one, but Eggsy waited until it was two-on-one before stepping out of his little hiding spot. He shot small, but powerful, bolts of electricity at the two acolytes. They couldn’t move, couldn’t fight; they could only stand there and tremble from the power coursing through them. It wasn’t an ability he had much use for, but the assassin carried a dual-bladed vibroblade. He used it to cut the helpless acolytes down.

“Thanks. I guess.”

Eggsy shook his head. “Hey, three-on-one, not exactly fair.”

“Mm.” The acolyte cast a quick glance at the table, and the clear marks in the dust where some shards were missing. “How long have you been here?”

“Hours,” he shrugged.

Eggsy stepped back into the shadows and made his way out of the chamber. He didn’t bother making certain he was silent on his way out. All that was left alive in the ruin were himself and the other acolyte.

If Harkun was surprised that Eggsy hadn’t killed all of his competition, he hid it well. Eggsy barely listened as the Overseer rattled off the next task. He listened enough to know where to go and what to go fetch. Beyond that, he didn’t need to hear anything. All he needed was to be the one still standing when the dust cleared.

They walked out of Harkun’s office together, matching each others pace. Neither wanted to be the first to pull ahead. Neither wanted the other at his back. They walked down the ramp from the academy and to the entrance of the tomb. They fought their way in, fighting side-by-side against the exiled acolytes who lived in it until they came to a split in their path.

“I’ll send your mum flowers,” Eggsy said as he took off down the left path.

He ventured deeper into the tomb, leaving the bodies of the exiled in his wake. He had to wonder why in the _fuck_ they lived where they knew trials were done. As he came to another turn in the tomb, one that brought a second path to his, he thought he had the answer. Someone obviously returned the shards after the trials. He wondered if they had been offered second chances if they kept acolytes away from the shards.

How many had _they_ cut down, only to be cut down by him? How were they not-

A noise ripped him away from his thoughts. He froze in place, listening very carefully for whatever - or _who_ever - might be nearby. But the sound did not come again and Eggsy continued on his path.

He passed through another ruined door and into a wide, circular chamber. There was a pedestal in the center and a cube sitting atop it. It shone with an inner light and made a not-unpleasant tinkling sound. It was the holocron he’d come for.

There was a brief shimmer and the assassin was standing between him and it. He gave Eggsy a look that was almost apologetic as he drew his weapon.

“So why pick me?”

Eggsy shrugged. “You was alone. Seemed simpler.”

He nodded. “Shame I don’t hate you, though. I always thought my first _real_ fight would be against someone I hate.”

“Too bad for you I ain’t thinkin’ of this as _my _first real fight.”

A ball of lightning formed in Eggsy’s hands and the assassin rushed at him. Before they could strike at each other, a roar came from somewhere within the tomb walls. The acolytes looked at each other, exchanged a nod, and went back-to-back.

The wall shook as something rammed into it. Dust rained from the ceiling; stealth would be impossible for the assassin now. The wall shook again and shattered outward. The acolytes threw themselves aside, using the Force to propel themselves clear of the rubble.

Eggsy got to his feet and looked toward the hole and the roaring creature. It was a tuk’ata, a Sith hound. They’d been bred to protect the tombs and kill Force users. It’s head was just higher than Eggsy’s own, and held three rows of teeth. Each toe sported a claw at least fifteen centimetres in length and the end of its tail was a hooked stinger.

But looking past all of that, Eggsy thought it was… kinda cute. It had bright, glowing red eyes and dark black fur. It had spines around its head and down its back. Its fur was just thick enough at the head to make the spines look almost like a mane. And while it was too dark to see for certain, Eggsy had the definite impression of rippling muscle.

The assassin moved first, trying to cloak himself even with the dust everywhere. It marked him and it _pounced_ like a fucking cat. Eggsy watched as the acolyte tried to fight it back, but they were Force-touched creatures. They could survive on it, heal themselves with it, and a vibrosword was no real match for one. If they had a lightsaber between them, then they’d have a chance.

“Oi, c’mere boy,” Eggsy yelled, getting an idea.

“Are you fuckin’ crazy?”

“Yeah, but go with it!” he yelled, rushing past the acolyte.

The tuk’ata, having the choice between one stationary snack and one running snack, ran after Eggsy. Eggsy slid as he ran, ducking behind the pedestal long enough to throw a ball of lightning.

It stopped chasing him at what was, for it, a tasty ball of yummy. It snapped it up and looked back at Eggsy, its head tipping to the side. It was waiting for more.

“Yeah, liked that, didn’t ya?”

He threw another ball of lightning at it. It snapped it up, and Eggsy could see it healing. He could see the few wounds the assassin had managed to make closing on their own. And so could the assassin.

“Stop fuckin’ feedin’ it and kill it!”

Eggsy laughed. “Always wanted a dog,” he said as he made another ball of lightning.

“That isn’t a fucking _dog_, spice-head!”

Eggsy grinned at him. “Sure he is.” All the warmth ran out of his face. “Just one that eats Force users.”

He threw the ball at the assassin. It unraveled as it flew toward him and wrapped around him. The assassin screamed, in pain and palpable fear, as he watched the tuk’ata rushed toward him. The screams were short lived and Eggsy heard the bones crunching and snapping as the tuk’ata ate its prize.

Eggsy, meanwhile, strode over to the holocron and picked it up. It was surprisingly light for something of its size; it was just wider than his spread hand. He looked over at the tuk’ata and it danced on its front paws. He smiled.

“C’mon then,” he said and started back the way he’d come.

It heeled, following him and hoping for more yummy Force-wrapped Force Users.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The image I based [tuk'ata!JB](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/c/c2/Tuk%27ata_JATM.jpg) on.


	11. Chapter 11

Eggsy had never looked so smug as he did walking into the academy with the tuk’ata at his heels. Sith - and not just acolytes - fell aside as he strode near them. The only ones who _didn’t_ fall aside were the honor guard. He could feel the tuk’ata’s attention wandering. He didn’t blame it; the academy must seem like a full feed bucket to it. He kept his hand by his side and shot out little sparks every so often, just enough to keep it following him obediently.

He took the holocron into Harkun’s office and tossed it to him with a wink. “Got your trinket, Overseer. Sadly, there we no other survivors.”

Harkun’s face was simultaneously trying to pale from fear and burn brightly from anger. “_What_ is _that_?”

“Tuk’ata,” Eggsy said innocently and grinned. “Followed me home, Overseer; can I keep him?”

Harkun sputtered. This really was Darth Nox all over again, only Nox had not come back with a Force-eating hound. _She _had come back with a Deshade, a remnant of a warrior species that fed on Force Users. “_Can you keep him_?!”

“Oh, yeah,” Eggsy said, “ain’t up to you, is it? It’s up to Darth Vindicta. So… where is he?”

Harkun took two long, slow breaths. The Force was obviously sending him the message - loudly - that it was time to retire. It was a message he planned on heeding. “Darth Vindicta does not come at _your_ beck and call, slave.”

Eggsy shrugged. “Probably gonna be pissed off if you keep him waiting though.”

Harkun didn’t want to admit that the slave… the _apprentice_… was right. But he also didn’t want the tuk’ata in his office any longer than necessary. The sooner Darth Vindicta came and took possession of the boy, the sooner the tuk’ata would no longer be his problem. He huffed irritably and hit the holocom.

“My Lord, the… results… of the trials are in and-” The tuk’ata growled and snapped at the holodisplay of Harry. Harkun sighed. “Whenever you’d like to come to my office, my Lord, your new apprentice is… eager.”

It was only a few minutes before Harry and Merlin, the later’s identity carefully hidden beneath his cloak again, arrived in Harkun’s office. Eggsy was leaning against the far wall, making little lightning balls and tossing them to the beast.

“Oi,” he called over to Harry and tossed a ball at him.

Harry held a hand up, freezing the ball in midair so the tuk’ata could take it. “I see you made a friend.”

“Yeah. C’n I keep him?”

“My Lord...” Merlin growled softly.

Eggsy grinned at Merlin. “I ain’t gonna make him eat you just yet, bruv.”

“Does it have a name?”

Merlin did his best to _not_ groan aloud. Harry asking the animal’s name was as good as saying they could keep it. This was going to be Mr. Pickle all over again. At least _that_ one hadn’t been a tuk’ata; that one had been a _proper _dog.

Eggsy shrugged. “JB.”

Harry looked the tuk’ata up and down. “Keep it out of my path.”

Eggsy grinned brightly and straightened up. “Of course, Master.”

Harry nodded to Harkun and turned to leave his office. Merlin fell in step behind Harry. Eggsy tried - _tried_ \- to get in between the two of them. Merlin’s arm shot out, catching him hard enough to knock the air out of him. Eggsy glared at him. He wondered how much more powerful the other apprentice was; how hard would it be to kill him and take his place already.

“Apprentice,” was all Harry said.

It was a quiet, but firm, purr. Eggsy’s eyes snapped from Merlin to the pureblood, and he shivered. The word had been cold, but without the promise of cruelty; distant, but with a hint of affection. Without another word from his Master, Eggsy fell in line behind Merlin.

He was given berth on his Master’s ship. It was the smaller of the crew quarters, but it was the one room with only a single bed; it was more than enough room for one human and one tuk’ata to sleep in. He had a bed; he had a wardrobe for his robes; he had a nightstand that wasn’t a broken down crate. Everything was sleek, black, new.

He pestered the ship’s droid for a glass and put it on the nightstand before stripping and laying on the bed. JB was shortly snoring, its pointed tongue lolling out of its mouth. Eggsy lay there, feeling the emptiness of space around him, save for the two other Sith on the ship. He was not at peace - peace was a lie - but he was… satiated for the time being.


	12. Chapter 12

In the morning, Eggsy thought he was up before everyone else. The ship was so silent that he couldn’t imagine anyone was awake. He explored the ship, his bare feet whispering quietly on the carpet. He found his new Master, and the other apprentice, meditating the conference room. The table and chairs had been pushed up against the wall to make space.

“I wondered when you were planning on getting up,” Harry said without otherwise moving.

Eggsy looked at the other apprentice; he was still robed, still hooded. “You ever take that off?”

“About as often as you wear a shirt,” Merlin said mildly.

“Join us, apprentice.”

It sounded like an invitation, but Eggsy knew an order when he heard one. Eggsy went over to the other side of Harry and knelt. He sat back on his heels, his hands on his thighs, and lowered his head.

He was _very_ aware of how still his Master was, how still the other apprentice was… and he didn’t understand _how_ they were doing it. His muscles wanted to jump and his attention wanted to wander. It didn’t help that he wasn’t too sure _what_ to be focusing on, especially not when he could sense how _calm_, how _controlled_ the other two were.

“Be still.”

Eggsy flinched. Apparently he’d been moving more than he realized. “Sorry, Master.”

He tried to _force_ himself to be still, to force his muscles to ignore the need to jump. But the harder he tried, the more he _needed_ to move. His calves started twitching on their own and he fought to keep them tensed and still. His feet fell asleep, painfully. And then… _then_ his back itched in that so hard to reach spot and he tried to ignore it, but it just got worse, and worse, and worse. 

“Do you understand _how_ to be still?”

Eggsy heard the irritation in his Master’s voice. “Yeah,” he snapped. “It’s just. It’s fuckin’ _hard_.”

“And _what_ are you focusing on?”

“On being still and not moving, obviously.” 

Eggsy heard the other apprentice laughing softly and heat shot through him. He turned his head just enough to look at the other man. How bad would it be, he wondered, if he just _accidentally_ shot some lightning at him right now? A low, amused rumble from his Master snapped him back to attention and he looked away from the man he was already considering his rival.

“Have you ever tried to focus on not doing something?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, Master.”

“Alright, then I would like you to not think about a blue-spotted akk dog.”

Eggsy shrugged. “Easy.”

Except, it _wasn’t_ easy. It was like all he could think about was blue-spotted akk dogs. The more he tried to not think about them, the more they kept coming to mind. He groaned and leaned forward.

“It is a difficult thing, focusing on not doing something,” Harry said.

Eggsy looked over at Harry. He didn’t understand. Not the lesson, but how it was being presented to him. He was being shown that he’d been trying too hard, but with an open hand and not a fist. Even Harkun’s lessons had come with a fist; a _verbal_ fist, but a fist nonetheless.

“I dunno… what to do then…” he said hesitantly. Because _now_ the fist would come.

“Pick an image and focus on that. If anything else comes up - the need to move, or thoughts, or anything - just acknowledge it and dismiss it.” Harry looked over at him. “And when you fail, acknowledge that and keep trying.”

Eggsy winced at the casual way his Master just said he’d fail at it. He lowered his head again and pictured Dean writhing in agony. He didn’t know if he was supposed to pick something that would make him feel good, or angry, or whatever. But this made him feel… calmly powerful. He knew if Dean was in front of him like that, he’d be feeling anger and rage and hate. But this was something he’d already _done_.

It only took a couple minutes before other things started coming to mind - including that fucking blue-spotted akk dog - and he tried to push them away. But it was fucking hard. And frustrating. How the fuck did you just… acknowledge a thought and make it go away?

“I think that’s enough for your first try, apprentice,” Harry said, rising to his feet.

Eggsy watched the man stand as if his legs weren’t even bothering him. The other apprentice rocked back onto his feet and stood in one, smooth motion. Eggsy, with his feet utterly asleep, tried to imitate Harry’s rise and… staggered when his feet tried to refuse to hold him.

Harry’s arm shot out and Eggsy found himself caught in midair. “Take your time, apprentice.”

Eggsy’s face went scarlet. “I’m _fine_, Master.”

Harry released him; Eggsy wasn’t expecting it and went to his knees. “Put the room back in order and then meet me in the lounge.”

“Yes, Master,” Eggsy said, not bothering to rise.

He didn’t move until they were gone. Was this sorta grunt work something that he should expect? They had a _droid_, for kriffs sake. He sighed and stood. Maybe it was some kinda punishment for falling like that.

He moved to the door and held out his hand. He figured he would have been told if he was supposed to do it by hand. He started with the table; it moved unevenly but he kept it in the air. By the time he was on the third chair, which was moving a little more evenly, he realized that it was _practice_, not _punishment_.

He looked the conference room over when he was finished. He was pleased by his work; it looked nice and he’d done it without breaking a sweat. He just… hoped it wasn’t actually indicative of what he was gonna be used for.

He went out into the lounge. The Sith each had a drink and there was a case on the table. It was long and thin. His stomach did a flip. It was long enough to be holding a lightsaber.

“Take it,” Harry said, motioning to the case. “You’ll want something other than that vibrosword.”

Eggsy broke into a grin and summoned the case to himself. He snapped it open and just _looked_ at the lightsaber inside. The hilt had a textured grip for most of its length. The stabilizing ring was bare, creating almost a neck between hilt and emitter, giving the emitter shroud the illusion of flaring outward. He tossed the case onto one of the lounge chairs and switched it on. The blade was thinner than standard and bright crimson.

“It’s gorgeous,” he breathed.

Harry smiled slightly. “Its last owner - my apprentice before him - thought the same.”

Eggsy laughed softly and gave it an experimental swing. It was nicely weighted in his hand, almost as if it had been made just for him. “Yeah?” He looked over at the other apprentice, switching the lightsaber off. “Brought it back to your Master after you killed him, huh?”

Eggsy knew, immediately, that he’d said something very out of line. Harry’s entire posture changed, darkening. He would have sworn he’d seen red flash in those pale eyes. Eggsy fell back a step and tensed, waiting for the beating he just _knew_ would come.

“My apprentice,” Harry said, his words as icy as a Hoth morning, “died taking a blow meant for me. He was the most loyal man I’ve ever known.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t…” Eggsy looked down at the weapon in his hands. This had belonged to a _precious_ apprentice. “I’ll try to live up to it, Master.”

“Good.”

Eggsy debated putting it back in the case and then clipped it onto his belt. He’d need to carry it around, precious heirloom or not. “I thought… well… you know... “ He shrugged. “I mean, if he’d let you die, wouldn’t that mean he’d get bumped up some? Takin’ your place an’ all?”

“As I said, he was loyal.” Harry rose. “I have no problem culling apprentices whose ambition clouds their loyalty.”

Eggsy stayed where he was as Harry stormed out and down to his cabin. “He’s, um… odd for a Sith, ain’t he?”

“Yes.”

“So, uh,” he went over to the sofas and sat. “What do I even call you? Just ‘apprentice’? ‘Rival’? I’m guessin’ ‘target’ ain’t the best idea, not if… he’s like that.”

“A good thought,” Merlin’s voice was mildly amused. “Custos.”

“Custos.” Eggsy nodded. “Vindicta, Cupio… Mortis, Nox, fuckin’ Ravage.” He shook his head. How stupid was he going to sound someday? Darth Eggsy, or Darth Gary. “All of you are _named_ for this shit.”

Merlin laughed softly. “And when you become a Lord, you will have a name, as well. A name befitting a Sith.”

“Oh… I thought…”

“You came to our Master with many assumptions. Perhaps you should let them go.” He paused. “Darth Nox began as a slave, the same as you.”

“Wait, she’s on the Dark Council, ain’t she?”

Merlin nodded. “Yes. Not a bad transition for a twi’lek sex slave, wouldn’t you agree?”

Eggsy eyed him curiously, almost wistfully. An alien sex slave, and she was one of the twelve most powerful Sith in the galaxy. “She… she was sex slave?”

Merlin laughed. “A _female _twi’lek slave?”

“Okay, _point_.” Eggsy sighed and looked down. “How long’s it gonna take ‘til this blows over?”

Merlin shook his head. “He cared a great deal for his apprentice.”

“He sleeps with all his apprentices, then?”

Merlin sat forward. “I beg your pardon?”

“It’s a small ship, mate. I mean, credit to you both for tryin’ to be quiet about it, but…” Eggsy shrugged. “Ain’t sayin’ I mind, you know? Havin’ been a sex slave and all.”

Merlin sighed a slow, somewhat irritated breath. “I hadn’t realized you’d heard us. But to answer your question, no, he does not.” He paused. “And he was not sleeping with his last apprentice.”

Eggsy looked over at him, a little mischievous grin surfacing. “You wear that robe even when you’re fuckin’?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Custos: Keeper/Guardian/Spy  
(Obviously Harry has a terrible sense of humor)


	13. Chapter 13

Harry’s ship had a private docking bay. Merlin left them while still inside the spaceport; Eggsy didn’t know where he was going but Harry had clearly expected it. They took an automated taxi to Harry’s stronghold.

From the taxi’s vantage point above the trees, Eggsy could see that this part of the planet was mainly jungle. He could see large predators close to the road below them and watched as people on speeders deftly avoided them. He could see a giant and unfinished colossus in one direction; a giant and ancient looking temple in another; and, the third point of the triangle, Kaas City, the Seat of the Empire.

He’d never seen such a huge city before. Buildings stretched toward the eternal storm, lightning rods atop many of them. A spire stood tall in the center of the city, all shiny and metal; it looked almost more like a monument than a massive lightning rod. They passed over what seemed to be a bazaar, full of tents and stalls. He wanted to look everywhere at once, and Harry let him without a word.

And then they came to Harry’s home; Eggsy breathed a sigh at seeing it. It was two stories with huge, wall-spanning windows. It had a terrace large enough for a transport ship to easily land. The terrace was nicely decorated with local plant life that flourished in the constant rain.

The taxi set down on the landing pad; JB was out the moment the doors popped open. He ran around the terrace, sniffing at everything as Master and apprentice followed him. Eggsy turned before going up the stairs into the stronghold itself and let his head tip back. The rain was warm and inviting; it made him think of the home they’d left when he was five. The rain there had been cold, but it was the only home he’d ever been happy in and the memories were tinged with nostalgia. 

He wondered how long it would be before he could have a place like this. He could bring his mum and his sister to share it with him. They could live in relative luxury, or maybe even _actual _luxury. He smiled a little at the thought and then turned to follow his Master inside, where a droid was already cleaning up the water JB had sprayed everywhere as he’d shaken himself off.

“Consider this is your home,” Harry told him. “At least, on Dromund Kaas. I have several.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“You may come and go as you please. I’ve… no doubt you’ll want to explore the city and the surrounding area.”

“I would like to, yes.” He paused. “I’ll have time to do that?”

Harry’s brow rose. “Yes. You had free time on Korriban, did you not?”

“Well… yeah… but that was a school.”

Harry laughed softly, a touch amused by the boy’s ignorance. At least he knew _where_ to begin his new apprentice’s education. “Sith are the upper echelon of society, dear boy. We do not work around the clock.” He paused. “You _are_ one of us now, lowborn or not.”

Eggsy shivered. “Didn’t think about it that way.” He paused. “So… what _will_ I be doing while we’re here?”

“A lot of study and a lot of practice. You did not have the education of a Sith.” He frowned slightly. “In these times, it is falling more and more to us to train our apprentices in even the basics.”

“Because you need the numbers.”

Harry nodded. “Yes.”

“You know… there was five of us who made it to the trials…”

“Better to have fewer numbers than unworthy Sith weakening us further.”

Eggsy nodded slowly. “I guess that makes sense.”

Harry led him down a corridor to a large, circular room. There were cabinets moulded to the walls. One of them was glass fronted and Eggsy could see the training blades within. There were training dummies in a wide circle around the room.

“You’ll be spending a good portion of your time in here. These should hold up against your lightning abilities, but if they do not, simply inform one of my droids.”

Eggsy nodded. “So… um… what’s a ‘good portion’?”

Harry eyed him for a moment. “What do _you_ consider ‘a good portion’ to be?”

Eggsy shrugged. “Depends on what else you want me to do. I mean, I can keep to the hours I kept at the academy.”

Harry nodded. “That will be sufficient. There _is_ only so much one can study a day and retain the knowledge. The more you use your abilities, however, the faster you will become more powerful.” He paused. “Do _not_ practice yourself into exhaustion. You’ll be of no use to me like that.”

“Alright.” Eggsy grinned. “Now, if I wanna go into the city…”

“Call for a transport. They’ll pick you up from the landing pad.” He paused. “There’s also a lift which will take you down to street level. There’s a parking bay for speeders, if you think you might want one.”

“And those…” Eggsy began hesitantly. “They run _how_ much?”

Harry eyed him for a second before shaking his head. “I’m not certain. Why?”

“Well…” Eggsy shrugged. “Ain’t like I got a credit to my name right now.”

Harry laughed, his head tipping back. “Eggsy, you are Sith, and my apprentice. We’ll go to the Sanctum later and you can requisition one.”

“Just… just like that?”

He nodded. “Just like that.”

Eggsy eyed him for a moment. “So… that true for _anything_ I want?”

“Within reason. As your Master, I _will _have to sign off on it.”

Eggsy nodded. “Alright.”

“There are rooms upstairs. Pick one to your liking.”

Eggsy bowed. “Yes, Master.”

Harry would have to sign off on whatever he wanted. Maybe… if he proved himself well enough… if he showed that he was _worthy_… maybe he could convince his Master that he wanted a particular pair of slaves. Maybe he could convince his Master that they should go and seize his mother and sister from Dean.


	14. Chapter 14

Merlin showed up after Eggsy had been there a month. He met briefly with Harry, and then the Sith announced that he and Merlin would be gone for some time. Eggsy’s first impulse was likely in line with most people’s the first time they’re told they’re going to be left completely unsupervised; to totally fuck off and party. But he didn’t want to upset his Master. He wanted to be Good; to prove himself worthy. For his mother and his sister.

He stayed in the stronghold for a week, just continuing his practice and his studies. But then the urge to go out, to go into the city _alone_, became too great and he left early in the afternoon. Harry _had_ gotten him a speeder, and he took it into the city proper. He actually wore the top of his robes - black, leather ones he’d requisitioned - and the shadowsilk cloak; Harry had insisted that he look like a proper Sith and not a slave when in the city.

He drove the speeder to the bazaar he’d seen. He tried to not look at everything at once, tried to act like a Sith and not someone who’d never spent much time in the capital. It seemed like they had _everything _in the outdoor market. He would have loved to have bought something for JB, but he still didn’t have two credits to rub together. Maybe once Harry was back he could requisition something from one of the stalls. If they even fell under that. He still wasn’t entirely certain how it all worked.

He parked his speeder by the cantina. It wasn’t far from a monument and reflecting pool. He went down to it and read the plaque about the monument and the Sith Lord it was dedicated to. There were scorch marks on the wall beside it, as if someone had pried something off of the wall at some point. 

He turned to go back toward the cantina. He could just sit in there and watch people, couldn’t he? Just… to see what it was like. He didn’t think the owner would object to a Sith in the place. He’d barely gotten halfway back when he heard a drawling voice behind him.

“The new apprentices are always _so _easy to spot. They go from their little backwater planets to Korriban, with no appreciation for the history of the sith homeworld. And then they come here and _marvel_ at the glory of Kaas City.” He paused and then continued on with clear disdain in his voice. “But then… so many of them _are _slaves these days.”

Eggsy turned around to look at the speaker. He was a pureblood sith, and had two mates with him; they were also purebloods. They each had multiple facial piercings. Eggsy knew he could take one of them, but… three-on-one was still not a good set of odds, and he doubted someone was waiting in the shadows.

“Who’s your Master then?” the pureblood asked, coming closer.

“What’s it to you?”

“Curiosity,” he shrugged.

Eggsy debated before answering him. “Darth Vindicta.”

The three exchanged an amused glance.

“I _heard _he took a _slave_ for his apprentice.” He flicked his wrist and Eggsy’s hood was pushed back. “What _is_ it coming to when a pureblood takes someone like _you_ for an apprentice?”

Eggsy looked the sith up and down. “Picked me an’ not you, huh? Must know quality when he sees it.”

“That, or an obedient fuck.” He paused, eyeing Eggsy thoughtfully. “That brand _does_ mark you as some variety of sex slave, doesn’t it? Now where are you from? I have this odd feeling I’ve met your sister.”

Eggsy’s eyes flashed. Was it illegal to kill a Sith - a pureblood sith even - in the middle of Kaas City? And what about Harry? Would it come down on _him_? Was this guy’s Master above his own?

“Oh, my stars, _fuck off_ already, Charlie.”

The Sith’s eyes flicked beyond Eggsy. “I’ll thank you to call me by my Sith name.”

The new pureblood - this one a woman - sauntered down the steps to where Eggsy was. She was short, with lighter skin than Harry, and her bright red hair was pulled back into a loose tail. Her eyes were pale yellow and she had three rings in her lower lip. She had bone spurs that followed the line of her jaw and she wore a pair of lightsabers.

“You’re still an apprentice. You haven’t _earned_ the right yet.” Her hands fell to the hilts of her weapons. The message was clear: if they got physical, she’d be on Eggsy’s side.

“C’mon, boys,” Charlie said, as if he wasn’t retreating. “Let’s leave the bitch and his new friend.”

Eggsy watched the three of them walk away before turning his attention to the woman. “I had it.”

“Mm, looked that way.”

“So… what you gonna say I owe you for this?”

She chuckled and shook her head. “We’re not _all_ arseholes, thank you.” She held her hand out. “I’m Roxy.”

He eyed her hand for a moment before taking it. “Eggsy.” He paused. “The fuck kinda pureblood names are ‘Charlie’ and ‘Roxy’?”

“They’re Basic-styled diminutives. It makes them easier to pronounce for humans.” She grinned just a bit. “What sort of human name is ‘Eggsy’?”

He shrugged. “Just what my mum always called me. Ain’t my real name, but… it’s what I go by.”

She nodded. “Well, _Eggsy_, would you join me in a drink?”

He looked her up and down. She wasn’t bad looking and he did kinda owe her. He shrugged. “Sure. You live around here? Cos my Master ain’t around right now and I dunno how he’d feel about someone else’s apprentice in his home.”

She stared at him for a moment before laughing. “No, no! I _meant _a drink.” She motioned at the cantina behind them. “In there.”

“Oh…” He pulled his hood back up. “You know, he wasn’t wrong about my havin’ been a slave. So I ain’t got any credits.”

She grinned. “I’ll buy. You can buy next time.”


	15. Chapter 15

They sat in the back. Holographic twi’lek dancers had been placed by the main entrance. There were actual twi’lek dancers on a stage to one side. They were tall and slender; their every movement was graceful and seductive. They were hairless; one was blue and the other was a soft shade of purple. A pair of prehensile tentacles called lekku grew from the back of their heads, ending at their lower backs; the purple dancer had one draped over her shoulder.

Little holodisplays on the tables let even the people in the back see the girls up close. The music was recorded and the speakers were by the girls. The music was nicely soft where Eggsy and Roxy were seated. The tables around them cleared quickly and they soon had the section to themselves.

“You’d think we weren’t wanted.”

Roxy laughed. “Well, would _you_ want to be around a drunk Sith?”

Eggsy tipped his head slightly in agreement. “Point.”

“There’s actually a private area for Sith upstairs,” she said, motioning to the lift. “I thought you might have had enough of us for a bit though.”

He nodded. “Yeah, kinda.”

He looked down at his drink. He’d barely touched it. Not because there was anything wrong with it. He’d just never been in a cantina before; never been allowed alcohol before. He didn’t want to drink it all down and end up a mess. He wasn’t even sure how much he _could_ drink before he ended up like that.

“So, what is it about twi’leks?”

“Hmm?” Roxy looked at him uncertainly.

“Everyone wants one. Dean was always bitchin’ that he couldn’t afford one and how much more money he’d make if he had one or two.”

“It’s the hutt’s fault,” Roxy said simply.

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“Well,” she took a sip of her drink. “You’ve seen a hutt, right?”

“Yeah, I lived in Hutt space. We’d see ‘em every so often. But they’d slide back up their ship ramps and fly off after they got a look around,” he said. “Big, mud colored, slimy; kinda like slugs the size of two or three men.”

“Exactly. Go to a hutt city, like on Nar Shaddaa. Everything is brightly colored and shiny. There’s even a fountain on the promenade that’s lined with gold. Hutts _like _color.” She paused pointedly. “Twi’leks generally have bright pastel colored skin. I’ve seen them in every shade.” She paused thoughtfully. “Except orange. I’ve never actually seen an orange twi’lek.”

Eggsy nodded. “Okay…”

“They can get a slave in any bright color they want. So they started grabbing up as many twi’leks as they could. They became a status symbol among the hutts, so _other_ people wanted them. Soon it just became the standard that everyone wanted.”

Eggsy watched her for a moment. “Is _any_ of that true?”

“Could be.” She grinned. “I don’t _actually _know; that’s just my theory.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Well, I guess it’s as good a theory as any.”

She eyed his brand, what she could still _see_ of it anyway. “If I may ask… your brand looks…”

“A bit stretched?” he offered

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, that’s cos I got it when I was five.”

She shook her head. “That seems rather young. I thought most didn’t brand their slaves until later. Until they could be… ah… a bit more useful.”

Eggsy shrugged. “Branded me when he got me.” He was quiet for a moment. “Wasn’t _born_ a slave, you know.”

“Oh.” She watched him for a moment. “Why over the lips?”

Eggsy didn’t answer for a moment. “There’re different, well… _types _of slaves, right? And, at least on Kafane, our brands advertise what we’re for. The ones that’re just for sex have a wave here-” he touched under his right eye “-labor slaves have a mouth bit burned into them. Things like that. Mine shows that I was available anytime, for anything, as long as Dean agreed to it.”

She stared at him for a long, silent moment. People could be… perverse, to put it kindly. And she’d heard of child slaves before who’d been used for such things. But the youngest she’d _ever_ heard of was ten standard years of age. “But… but… From the time you were _five_?,” she whispered.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I mean, he didn’t start whorin’ me out right away. But otherwise…” He shrugged.

She hummed thoughtfully. “I’m surprised it took so long for you to show any Force ability.”

He shrugged. “Guess I finally hit my limit.”

“I would say so.” She paused, eyeing him again. “I don’t suppose you know _why _Darth Vindicta chose you, do you?”

Eggsy rolled his eyes under his hood. “Like I told that Charlie: he can tell quality.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t understand. Darth Vindicta hasn’t taken an apprentice for… something like twenty years now.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “His last apprentice died for him. He hasn’t taken one since.”

He wondered why she didn’t realize he’d had another apprentice. But he wasn’t going to ask, not _her_. If Custos was… some secret or something, Eggsy wasn’t going to betray it. “I dunno; he ain’t said nothin’ to me about it. Guess he just thought it was time.”

“I guess…” she smiled a little. “I can tell you, it’s caused _no_ small amount of gossip in the Sanctum.”

Eggsy snorted. “So that’s the _real_ reason why you wanted to have a drink with me.”

She grinned and tipped her head in a half-shrug. “You got me. All anyone could say for certain was you were human and an ex-slave.”

He grinned. “Tell ‘em I got a pet tuk’ata.”

She laughed. “Oh, right.”

“No, really. Got him out of the tomb from my final trial. Named him JB.”

She stared at him for a moment. “You’re… you’re _serious_.”

He nodded. “That I am.”

“Could I see him?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Soon as my Master’s back, I’ll send you a holo.”

“I’ll hold you to that. My holo’s listed; just look for R. Morton.”


	16. Chapter 16

By the next week, Eggsy had gotten tired of fighting the targets. He wanted something… something with a little more fight to it. He called for a taxi to take him and JB to a more remote outpost in the jungle.

They didn’t have to go out far from the outpost before spotting some of the local predators. Eggsy could see a couple green, man-sized vine cats and a yozusk not far from it. He’d never seen a yozusk before, not outside of studying. They were large predators, bigger even than the vine cats. They had long arms, rocky protrusions on their backs, and could hunt by scent alone.

Eggsy picked up a rock and threw it. It landed several metres away from the yozusk. The predator’s head swiveled to the sound and it scented the air. Its head tipped from side to side, its nostrils flaring. It knew the smell of human, of sith, of chiss… but not tuk’ata. It moved forward, pausing every so often to scent the air again and see if the strange scent had moved. 

Eggsy waited until it was to the rock and then called down a storm of lightning on it. It struck the predator, and all around it. Every time it tried to move, another strike hit it, but Eggsy couldn’t keep the storm up indefinitely. The moment the yozusk realized the pain had stopped, it bellowed in anger and charged at Eggsy.

JB shot out at it, his three rows of teeth sinking into one of those long, powerful arms. It roared again and tried to throw the tuk’ata off of itself. Eggsy took a moment to steady himself - the storm was fucking _amazing_ but it took so much out of him - and then shot lightning at it from both hands.

The electricity jumped between both predators, hurting the yozusk and healing JB. The fucking thing was tough, though, and Eggsy felt himself getting weak by the time it fell. Once it fell still, JB let go of its arm, sniffed at it, and took a bite from it.

Eggsy sank to his knees, panting. “Next time,” he told JB, “we ain’t starting with the storm. _Fuck_ me.”

He sat and watched JB eat their prize. Rain trickled down through the canopy and Eggsy tipped his head back, opening his mouth to catch some of the water. He felt calm, and proud of himself. He knew some people went after yozusks as a challenge before moving on to gundarks. He didn’t think he was at the point of going after one of _them_. Not yet, anyway. Once he _was_, he was gonna bring his Master the ears.

JB had mostly finished off the yozusk and was gnawing on one of the rocky protrusions when he stopped, ears up and tense. He got to his feet, growling. Eggsy barely had time to turn when a vine cat leapt at him. He tried to move out of the way, but it was too close and it tore his arm through his robe. He felt blood running freely.

“Fucker!”

His hand shot out and, instead of lightning, black and purple smoke circled the vine cat. The purple smoke dissipated and the black circled around the cat before returning to Eggsy. He felt the blood stop running and he pulled the sleeve up. The wound was gone. It was perfectly healed, as if it had never been there.

“The shit…?”

He heard the cat scream as JB tore its throat open. He looked back at the cat. It wasn’t green any longer. It was pale yellow, as if what he’d done had aged it by years. He sighed softly, curiously, and walked over to where JB was starting to snack on it.

“Stars…”

He crouched by the cat and touched it. Somehow… he’d sapped it of its vitality and healed himself. How… was that even _possible_? He knew some Sith could use the Force to heal themselves and others, but he’d never heard of one who… sucked the life out of beings to do it.

He looked at JB. “Think I’m going to the Sanctum. The library there’s gotta have something about this, right?”

JB just gnawed on the cat.


	17. Chapter 17

The next day he went to the Sanctum. There were libraries - not _a_ library; librar_ies_ \- on the bottom levels. Some of them were privately owned by Darths or Lords. Others were restricted to those levels of Sith. But Eggsy found one that he was allowed in and went to the database.

Most information was stored in holocrons. As such, library shelves were _full_ of them. Many of them were cubes and pyramids, but there were plenty of others shaped as varying polyhedra. Holocrons had no labels. Anywhere. Thus the only way for Eggsy to figure out what exact one or ones he’d need was to go through the database.

“List… um… all holocrons dealing with Force Healing.”

A list came up and started autoscrolling. He got to the 50th entry and groaned. “Okay, stop. Um… limit by… uh. Fuck, I dunno.” He thought for a moment. “Limit by vitality draining?”

The screen came up black and he groaned again.

“Similar search string found,” said a not unpleasant female voice. “Do you wish to see it?”

“Yes.”

He looked at it. Force Healing, limited by _essence_ draining. Well, he’d been fucking close. He looked for a number to tell him what holocron and found nothing.

“Where is this holocron located?”

“No holocron detected. Files are kept in memory storage. If you would like to borrow a copy, please check out a datapad and input the number.”

“Okay, save search.”

He went up to the front desk and got the droid to sign him out a datapad. He wondered why there wasn’t a record of this on holocron. Holocrons could only be used by those with Force sensitivity, and this was certainly a Force issue. So why no holocron?

He shrugged the question off and went back to the database. “Okay, I got pad 3s/5a/p/o.”

“Access granted on datapad 3s/5a/p/o. File may be accessed for ten standard days. Please return the datapad by that time or face legal repercussions.”

Eggsy laughed softly. Only in the Empire would people be fuckin’ arrested for returning shit to the library late. But whatever. He had the information he needed, or hoped he did. He left the Sanctum and returned to his Master’s home.

The file proved to be _huge_. And all of it was written by one Sith. They’d been a healer at one point, until they realized they could devour the essence of their enemies the way a Force eater could. There were other techniques mentioned, refinements of the ability he’d accidentally used. The author had gone on to explain what each of these other techniques did - even going so far as to leave data based on experiments - but they had not included how to use the techniques.

The only way he was going to figure them out was to actually _do_ it and try to figure out the refinements from there. He couldn’t just… go out into the jungle and hope a vine cat or yozusk would, like, stand still for him while he attempted to suck it’s essence out of it. That was really a good way to get killed.

He’d need sapients. There were plenty of slaves on Dromund Kaas. There were plenty of slaves within the Empire. But… Sith or not, suddenly an aristocrat or not… Eggsy was uncomfortable with the idea of just… getting a slave to _experiment_ on. It was the sorta thing Dean would have done.

He got his personal holocom out and had it search for R. Morton’s listing. He found it easily enough and had it dial her. He waited for a minute and then the holo of her appeared.

“Eggsy!” She grinned. “My Master and I were just discussing you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. He’d like to meet with you and your Master, once he returns.”

Eggsy nodded once. “I’ll tell him when he returns.” He paused. “Your Master know mine very well?”

“Oh, yes. They’re friends, actually.” She paused. “You _do_ know Sith are capable of friendship, I hope.”

He laughed. “Yeah. They’re just a bit more tit-for-tat than non-Sith friendships.”

“Well,” she said a little stiffly. “Even _friends_ should have their uses.”

“Yeah, I get you. Just takes a bit of gettin’ used to for those of us who weren’t _raised_ Sith, yeah?”

“Hmm.” She looked thoughtful. “Well, what can I do for you? I assume you had some reason for calling.” She paused. “Unless you _did_ just want to talk.”

“No, I had a reason.” He paused. “If I wanted to… say… practice my skills on… well…”

“A person rather than a dummy?”

She said it so _casually_. He realized this must not be that odd of a request. That was… sort of a relief. Cos if it wasn’t an unusual request, then there ought to be… protocol or _something_ for how to do it.

“Yeah. How do I go about… well… gettin’ someone to practice on?”

“You aren’t a healer are you?”

He shook his head.

She hummed softly. “Well, there’s the slave pens. You could always-”

“No.” He shrugged. “Havin’ been one and all…”

“Ah, yes. I suppose that _would _make you uncomfortable.” She looked thoughtful. “There are always prisoners in the city. Some of them are being held as possibly having information. Some are traitors. Some are up for execution.”

“The other two types _ain’t_ up for execution?”

“Oh, no!” She laughed. “They’ll be tortured until they give up what we want or die.” She paused. “Usually it lasts until they die. One never _can_ be certain if a prisoner has given all the information they have.”

“Oh! Well, shit.” He paused. “So… how do I go about gettin’ someone who, uh, they want tortured and don’t give a fuck if they die?”

“Mm, well, that depends. Does your Master have a kolto or bacta tank?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No…”

“I doubt your toy will last very long, then.”

He bit his lip. “Can he, like… tell the Sanctum he wants one?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Then… guess I’ll wait until he gets home.” He sighed. “Really wanted to be able to surprise him. Show him I’d done good while he was gone.”

She laughed softly. “You took initiative. He’ll be pleased by that.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Rox. Talk to you later, yeah?”

That was… an odd idea to him. That just finding out how to go about doing something would be _enough_ to make his Master happy. He’d have to make certain _everything_ in the stronghold was perfect. He thought about making certain to watch for his taxi and be out there to greet him, but that felt a little… boot-lick-y.

He’d settle for making certain the stronghold was perfect.


	18. Chapter 18

It was another week before his Master returned. He waited in the lounge, attempting to not bounce with nervous energy. He’d made certain everything was perfect. He’d made certain his Master had a drink waiting. He’d even gotten better at not being so wiped out by the Force Storm. It still wiped him out, sure, but not as badly.

He got to his feet when Harry came into the room. “Welcome back, Master.”

Harry looked him up and down. “Is this where you offer yourself to me again? I feel I should warn you: if you do it again, I _will_ take you up on it.”

Eggsy grinned. “Master, if that’s something you want…” He shrugged.

“It isn’t required of you, apprentice. I do, however, appreciate a willing partner. Especially when they happen to be attractive.”

“Well… I wasn’t gonna. But, I mean, if it’ll help…”

Harry’s brow rose. “What do you want then?”

“Well… um… I sorta accidentally figured out a new skill and I need to practice it. But I need something _alive_ for it and, well, vine cats ain’t gonna stand still.” He paused. “I talked to… a friend, I guess… and she told me I could get a prisoner who’s a traitor or up for execution to practice on, but that I should have a kolto or bacta tank.”

Harry watched him for a moment. “You understand, apprentice, that torture is not a silent thing.”

Eggsy tipped his head slightly and then nodded. “I’m sorry, Master. I hadn’t thought that it might disturb you.”

Harry shook his head. “Screams for mercy will not disturb _you_?”

Eggsy shrugged. “Growin’ up where I did? Hearin’ that shit was normal. Been a long time since it disturbed me.”

Harry nodded. “Then I see no problem. I will put in the requisitions tomorrow.” He eyed Eggsy. “Do you have a preference on the prisoner’s sex or species?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I don’t care.”

Harry looked thoughtful. “Have the droid clean out the adjoining room to the practice arena. We’ll store your prisoner in there.”

“Thank you, Master,” he said and bowed.


	19. Chapter 19

The next afternoon they received a visit from a military official. He had three assistants with him; two of them had a hovercart each with a prisoner on it. They were bound to a metal restraint table. The tables could be positioned at any angle and were currently tipped back just enough that the prisoners weren’t standing. The last assistant had a kolto tank on her hovercart.

Eggsy showed them to the room that had been prepared and they put everything in place. The assistant calibrated the kolto tank. Both of his prisoners were male; one was twi’lek and the other was human.

“Will you be needing anything else, my Lord?”

Eggsy bit down a grin. He _really_ liked how the non-Sith treated the Sith. Even just apprentices like him. “Nah, I’m good.” He paused. “You ain’t gonna want them back alive, right?”

The official smiled thinly. “When the request came to us, we naturally assumed they would not be coming back alive.”

“Oh! Well, good then. Good.”

They bowed and left. Eggsy _wanted_ to get started right away, but he waited. His Master had gone out for some reason and Eggsy thought he ought to wait until he returned. He would wait… but he’d get everything set to go in the meantime.

He went into the room the two prisoners were in and looked between the two of them. He started with the human. “So… what’d you do?”

The human looked as if he wanted to back away from Eggsy. “I offended a Sith, my Lord.”

“Offended… how?”

“I am… I _was_ a waiter in the private area of the cantina. I spilled a drink on him.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sounds ‘bout right.” He shrugged. “Nothin’ doin’. You’re dead whether I do it or someone else does.” He looked at the twi’lek. “What ‘bout you?”

“_Fuck yourself with a hydrospanner, Sith scum_,” he said in Huttese.

Eggsy grinned slowly. “_Tempting but no_.”

The twi’lek’s eyes widened fearfully.

“Grew up in Hutt space.” He shrugged. “Speak it and Basic just fine. Doubt I’m the only Sith who does. Guess you mouthed off at the wrong one.”

“_No, got caught spying, you piece of shit,_” he grumbled, switching to Ryl, to his native language. The tips of his lekku moved as he spoke, their movements part of the language.

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, caught one word there. Spent an afternoon with a spice dealer. Taught me how to swear in Ryl.” He smiled slowly. “Guess that means you first.”

He had the droid move the twi’lek’s restraint table out into the practice arena. By the time it had him set in place and ready for Eggsy, Harry had returned. Eggsy went out to greet him.

“Welcome home, Master.”

Harry smiled ever so slightly. “Any reason for the greeting?”

Eggsy grinned. “The two prisoners were delivered and I was wondering if I could start on them.”

Harry chuckled. “I’d assumed you were going to start when they arrived.”

“Then… I’ll go experiment!”

He bowed politely and ran back to the practice arena. He tried to think of how he’d felt when he’d sapped the essence from the vine cat. It had been so _sudden_; he hadn’t had time to think, just… react. He’d… what? Felt like his life was in danger?

He tried to think about what that felt like; he thought about what it was like to have Dean beating him. All _that_ did, however, was make him angry. Still, he focused on it and held his hand out toward the twi’lek. He tried, but he most he managed was a little bit of purple smoke around his victim.

He frowned. He’d gotten the lightning down quickly. But that… that had just been focusing on his hate and anger and pain. This was… he didn’t _know_ what this was. He didn’t know how to replicate the feeling of being in actual mortal danger.

“_Some Sith you are_,” the twi’lek said in Huttese. “_Didn’t know Force Impotence was a thing_.”

Eggsy glared at the twi’lek and shot lightning at him. He was rewarded with a loud, pained scream. “_Fuck you, filth_.”

“_Filth? I’m not the one with a slave brand_.”

Eggsy snarled in rage and shot at him again; this time he held it until the twi’lek stopped screaming. He was panting with his anger, shaking from it, and had to stop himself from just _killing_ the fuck right then and there.

He was gonna draw the twi’lek’s death out. It was gonna take a long fucking time, and he was gonna get _very_ familiar with the kolto tank. He used the Force and carried the table back to the room they were stored in. He Force lifted the unconscious prisoner by his neck and left him dangling while he got the tank open. He fitted the breathing mask on him and put restraints on him to keep him from pulling the mask off and drowning himself. Then he dropped the twi’lek in and let the tank scan him and start healing him.

He hauled the human prisoner out, set him in the practice arena, and then… just stared at him. What he needed, he thought, was to be in pain; to have something he needed to fix in himself. And there was no real way to _do_ that without help. He eyed the door for a moment before heading toward it. He had a thought on _how_ to get the pain he needed.


	20. Chapter 20

He found Harry in the lounge. From the look of things, he was just about to settle in to relax. Eggsy hoped his request wouldn’t… put Harry in an off mood or something.

“Master.”

“Finished already?”

“No, Master. I.” He paused. “I need you to do something for me. Please.”

Harry nodded. “Ask.”

“I want you to hurt me.”

Harry’s brow rose and he eyed his apprentice. Pain and sex were not a strange combination in Sith circles, and Harry’s first thought was _not_ that he was being asked to _actually_ hurt the young man. He looked his apprentice over. Fuck, he was beautiful, but… he was also Lee’s son. But… he _had_ warned Eggsy that if he offered himself a third time, he would _not_ be turned down.

“Hurt you, hm?” Harry said, closing the distance between them.

“Yes, please.” He paused. “I think I need you to.”

Harry put a hand on Eggsy’s throat and pushed him against the wall. “Choking, lightning, physical? All of the above?”

“Surprise me.”

Harry eyed him for a moment. He sensed no hesitation in his young apprentice. Some fear, yes, but no hesitation. Some fear was healthy when asking a Sith - especially a Darth - for pain. But he didn’t see the fear in the young man’s green eyes. He saw… something stubborn and tenacious. Eggsy’s father had once had that same look in his eyes. He had never lusted after Lee, but then… Lee had also never offered himself up.

He smiled slowly and squeezed his apprentice’s throat. He didn’t squeeze so hard that the young man couldn’t breathe; only so that it would be difficult. He raised his hand, slowly, letting the human rise up on his toes, and stopping just when he could see the strain in his face.

_Fuck_, he was beautiful like that.

He touched Eggsy’s face, and trailed his fingers down along his cheek, along his jaw. He left little sparks of lightning in his wake, and he saw his apprentice wince. Wince, but not complain. How high _had _his pain tolerance become from years of being a slave? How far _could _he push the young man?

He ran his fingers down along his apprentice’s shoulder, putting more strength into the lightning. He finally was rewarded with a soft, pained sound from the young man. He trailed down to the human’s bare chest.

Stars, did he love that his apprentice wore so little so often. He’d considered leaving a set of dancer’s leggings in Eggsy’s closet. They were _very_ revealing; just a pair of panties with sheer coverings that hugged the sides of the wearer’s thighs and lower legs. Maybe now, now that his apprentice had come to him for pain, he would.

He let his fingers stop on the young man’s nipple. He rolled it, roughly, between his thumb and forefinger, shocking him as he did so. Eggsy sucked in a breath, his head tipping back against the wall. Harry squeezed harder, getting a pained whimper from the young man.

“Good, apprentice,” he purred. “Let me _hear_ your pain.”

He trailed his fingers down, leaving harder, sharper sparks behind. He heard his apprentice’s choked whimpers as he went. He stopped at the hem of Eggsy’s leather skirt. He slipped two fingers under it, feeling those hard, beautifully sculpted abs jump under his touch, and slid his hand along the hem to the clasp.

“Mas-” Eggsy managed to choke.

Harry looked at him, pale eyes on green. “Have you changed your mind, apprentice?”

“I…”

Harry squeezed Eggsy’s throat harder for a moment, a displeased look crossing his features. “I do _not_ accept hesitation. Do you _still_ want me to hurt you, _yes_ or _no_?”

“Yes.”

“Good boy,” he purred. He was not unaware of the pleasure that shot through his apprentice at those words.

He unhooked the clasp and let the skirt fall. And then he hissed in a breath. His apprentice was gloriously bare beneath the robe. The lines of his hips and his legs were lovely. Yes, Eggsy _definitely_ needed a pair of dancer’s leggings. For his eyes only, of course.

He reached down and wrapped his fingers around the head of Eggsy’s cock. He felt it twitch under his touch and sent a sharp jolt of electricity into it. Eggsy cried out in pain, his feet slamming against the wall in an attempt to push up and away from the hand. But Harry held him firmly in place.

As soon as he saw the pain leave Eggsy’s eyes, he shocked him again, smiling wickedly at the response. The apprentice’s eyes shone so beautifully with his pain. He slid his hand down the young man’s cock, stroking it until it was hard in his hand. And then he added jolts here and there as he stroked him.

Eggsy wiggled against the wall, trying so desperately to get away from the pain. Harry saw tears welling in his eyes and let out a low groan. He shocked him harder and along the entire length of his stroke. Eggsy let out a choked scream, the tears falling finally.

Harry leaned in and licked the tears. “Stars, you are so _achingly _beautiful. I may have to bring you to tears more often.”

Harry dropped him and Eggsy went to his knees. He stripped while the young man got a few decent breaths. There were ‘v’ shaped ridges on his chest and his muscles were taut. Eggsy looked up at him, and at the sith’s deep red cock. The sith was about the length of a human, but he was so much _thicker_. Eggsy shivered, and he wasn’t certain if he was afraid, excited, or both.

“Use your mouth, apprentice,” he commanded.

He sat up on his knees and took Harry’s cock into his mouth. He wrapped his hand around the base of it, and then felt his Master’s hand in his hair, pulling hard.

“I said your _mouth_.”

Harry yanked him forward, forcing Eggsy to take him to the root. Eggsy struggled against him, feeling the head at this throat and unable to breathe around it. He whined quietly, but started swallowing against him. Harry let out a throaty growl and released his apprentice after only a little while. Eggsy pulled off of him, panting for breath. 

Harry grabbed Eggsy’s jaw and pulled him to his feet. His pupils were blown wide with lust. “My chambers. _Now_.”

Eggsy went ahead of him, into the meditation chamber and then beyond into Harry’s private chambers. He felt the pureblood’s hand close around his neck and drive him toward the bed. Eggsy sank onto his hands and knees, shivering with a mix of fear and anticipation.

“On your back.”

Eggsy lay down and looked up at his Master. Was he allowed to tell him ‘no’ to this? More importantly, did he _want _to tell him ‘no’? He wasn’t certain. He spread his legs apart and tipped his hips upward. He eyed that thick, red cock almost fearfully. He didn’t think his Master was planning on stretching him or using anything more than the - probably rapidly drying - saliva he’d left behind. The idea made him shiver in a mix of fear and anticipation.

Harry knelt between Eggsy’s legs and pressed two fingers to the apprentice’s lips. Eggsy took them into his mouth and sucked on them almost hungrily. Harry wanted to just fuck him, to batter into him without thought for how tight the human’s arsehole was likely to be. But Eggsy had been so good, screaming for him and crying. He deserved to have the pleasure with his pain.

He pulled his fingers from Eggsy’s mouth and pressed them both, at once, inside of him. The apprentice bucked his hips with another cry of pain, his hands squeezing into fists on the blankets. Harry scissored his fingers as he slowly fucked Eggsy with his hand.

It didn’t take long before the apprentice’s pain had passed and his head had fallen back. He was moaning quietly, moving in time with Harry’s hand. His eyes were hazy and half-lidded. Harry smirked and started shocking him again, using as little strength as he could.

Eggsy arched up with a cry, his eyes going wide. “Oh _fuck_.” He whined, grinding against his Master’s hand. “Master… Master, please.”

“Harry,” he purred. “While you’re in my bed, you may call me by my name.”

“Yes, Mas- _Harry_. Yes. I…”

Harry shocked him again and he felt the young man shudder beneath him. He withdrew his fingers and leaned over his apprentice. Eggsy tried to force himself to relax as he felt Harry’s cock pressing inside of him. He whined in pain as he was so slowly and forcibly spread wide.

“Don’t fight it,” Harry whispered. “Let me _hear_ your pain.”

Eggsy let his head fall back and cried out in pain. It felt like an eternity before he felt his Master’s hips against him. He was shaking beneath Harry. He knew the pain would pass quickly, but fucking shit, he’d _never_ been spread like that; so painfully and slowly.

Harry withdrew almost entirely and then thrust slowly. Eggsy let out a pained moan, hooking his legs around Harry’s own and arching up to meet him. The friction from the lack of any real lubricant was painful, but he was so _full_. It was as if his Master was hitting every nerve he had.

“_Stars_,” he whined. “_Fuck_.”

Harry reached between them and took his apprentice’s cock in hand. He stroked the young man in time with his thrusts, even as he sped up from his slow and languid pace. Eggsy grabbed the headboard as his Master began pounding into him. He felt sharp, tearing pain, and then his Master was moving more freely inside of him, slicked by blood. And then his Master was shocking him again, shocking his throbbing cock. He screamed, arching up, wanting to both get away from the pain and stay with it.

“_Harder_,” he moaned. “Oh, stars, fuck me _harder_.”

Harry struck him across the face and then wrapped his hand around his apprentice’s throat. “You do _not_ command me; you _beg_.”

“Yes, Mas- Harry. Sorry, Harry,” he panted. “_Please _fuck me harder!”

“Good boy,” he said.

He let go of his apprentice’s cock and grabbed onto the headboard for leverage. Eggsy braced himself against it, and heard the bed slamming into the wall with every painfully delicious thrust. He was screaming in pain and pleasure, fear and delight. He was hardly aware that he was crying; he was hardly aware of it when he came.

And then Harry slammed into him one final time, cuming deep inside his apprentice. He stayed pressed again Eggsy, wanting him to be as filled with cum as he had been with cock. He felt himself wilting but stayed hard against Eggsy’s hips. He leaned down and licked the fresh tears.

“Such a good boy,” he whispered. “So good, my apprentice.”

Eggsy slurred something; slurred it too badly for Harry to understand. The pureblood chuckled at it and finally withdrew from his apprentice’s arse. He went into the en suite and cleaned himself up, before returning to his half-aware and supine apprentice.

Eggsy stirred a little as he felt Harry cleaning him. And then he let his eyes close. He felt so wonderfully used, and his body ached from what his Master - what _Harry_ \- had done to him. The gentle cleaning stopped and Eggsy tried to get up. Tried… and then fell back. He heard Harry laugh. He’d never _heard_ the man laugh so warmly before. It brought a soft, needy sound to his lips.

“Rest, apprentice,” he whispered.

Eggsy sensed him leave and whined softly. But he was only gone for a moment. Eggsy felt himself being lifted slightly, bent upward into almost a sitting position. He forced his eyes open and saw the glass of water just at his lips. He drank it down, only now realizing how thirsty he was. Harry fed him some small fruits before letting him lay back.

Eggsy was asleep before he hit the pillow again.


	21. Chapter 21

When Eggsy awoke the first time, it was dark. There was warm weight against and on him. His Master had joined him at some point and was asleep against him. He shifted a little, feeling the pureblood’s chest ridges against his own chest. He leaned his head toward his Master’s own and fell back to sleep.

The next time, it was day and the bed was empty. He got up and searched around for his skirt before remembering it had been in the lounge. He went out, not bothering to cover himself, and went to the lounge.

Merlin was sitting in there, the skirt folded and on the seat beside him. “Well, well. You lived.”

Eggsy groaned a still-asleep greeting at him and got his skirt. He pulled it around himself and clasped it. “Master…?”

“In his study, going over some data I brought him.”

Eggsy nodded and sank into the seat. _Fuck_, he ached all over. It was _not_ what he’d meant when he’d asked his Master to hurt him, but that… that had been the _best_ misunderstanding of his fuckin’ life.

“If you were a cathar, I believe you would be purring.”

Eggsy heard the amusement in Merlin’s voice. “Yeah. I would be.” He grinned. “Ain’t jealous, are you?”

He shook his head. “A Sith _should_ follow his passions. Just be aware that not all Sith are as… accepting… of someone fucking what is theirs.”

Eggsy laughed. “Does our Master know you think of him like that?”

“Oh, yes,” Merlin said with a chuckle. “And he knows how jealously I guard those things which are mine.”

“So… why ain’t you upset that we fucked?”

“Because,” Merlin began, “I fully plan to be fucking you before long, as well.”

Eggsy stared at him for a moment. “...why?”

He laughed softly, languidly. “For a start, you _are_ lovely. And according to our Master, not only does pain bring that out even more, but you cry _beautifully_.” He reached out and stroked Eggsy’s cheek. “I want to see _that_.”

Eggsy shivered at the touch. “Well, maybe that’s only for him.”

“Then it’s only for him.” Merlin pulled his hand back and shrugged. “And I would count it as your loss.”

“I-” Eggsy cut himself off as Harry came into the room. He bowed his head. “Good morning, Master.”

Harry went over to them and put a hand on the back of Eggsy’s neck. He squeezed, far more gently than he had the night before. He leaned down to his apprentice’s ear. “Good boy,” he said softly.

Eggsy shivered pleasantly and watched as his Master left his side to take a seat where he could be seen by both of his apprentices. “Master, there is, um… one thing…?”

“Yes?”

“I still… need you to hurt me…”

Harry’s brow rose. “I had no idea you were such a masochist.”

“I ain’t… Well, I mean…” He took a breath and started again. “I couldn’t manage what I was tryin’ yesterday. ‘s why I needed you to hurt me.”

A series of emotions rapidly played out on the pureblood’s face; not the least was some close kin to horror. “And that was what you meant yesterday?”

Eggsy nodded and looked down.

Harry could _feel_ Merlin’ amusement. At least the cybernetically enhanced human had the sense to not actually _express_ the amusement. Harry would not like to have to explain how the Minister of Intelligence ended up in his home and clearly tortured by a Sith.

“And you said _nothing_ because…?”

Eggsy winced. He could _hear_ the barely masked anger in his Master’s voice. More than that, he could sense it. He could feel it just below that thin veneer of civility. “Wasn’t sure if I could,” he said quietly. “Wasn’t sure I wanted to.”

“Harry,” Merlin said softly, sensing his Master’s anger. “The boy _was_ a slave.”

Harry understood both was Merlin was saying, and what he was _not_ saying. That they would have to take special care with Eggsy; that the anger he was presently feeling was frightening to the apprentice; that having a choice about sex was still new to him. He took a breath, forcing the anger down.

“A shame you didn’t see him when he first woke,” Merlin said with a soft laugh. “He was all but purring. I think _that_ should answer the question of whether or not he decided he _wanted_ to be in your bed.”

“The next time you are in my bed,” Harry said, “if there is doubt in your mind, you _will_ tell me. If I find you have neglected to tell me such a second time, you will not _be_ in my bed again.”

“Yes, Master.”

Harry eyed Merlin for a moment. “Go with him when he returns to his experiment. Hurt him however he needs.”

Merlin bowed his head. “Of course, Master.”


	22. Chapter 22

After Eggsy had woken up fully and had something to eat, Merlin followed him into the practice arena. He circled Eggsy without a word. He was very aware of the prisoner’s fear. Undoubtedly, he’d heard Eggsy screaming the night before. He had to wonder if the prisoner realized that Eggsy’s screams had not just been ones of pain and fear.

“Begin,” he said softly, as he went over to the practice blades.

Eggsy rolled his eyes at the other apprentice. “I told you-”

“And I told you…” Merlin said, overriding him, “_begin_.”

Eggsy gave him a sour look before turning his attention to the prisoner. Pain and annoyance weren’t the same thing, and he debated telling that to the fuckin’ cyborg. He tried to reach out to the feelings he’d had while in pain, and his mind just returned to the night before. 

“_Focus_,” Merlin snapped. He accentuated his command with a sharp blow across Eggsy’s back with a training blade.

The blow caught Eggsy off guard and he whirled. “The _fuck_, mate?!”

“You wanted to be hurt. It tends to be more effective when one does not realize it’s coming.” He motioned for Eggsy to turn around.

Eggsy let out an irritated sigh and turned around. He tried to reach inside of himself, to find that _feeling_ he’d just reacted to. Every so often, Merlin hit him again, and not always in the same place. It was _not_ helping him focus. All it was doing was making him want to hurt Merlin.

Merlin hit him one final time; he struck the back of Eggsy’s knees and swept him off of his feet. He used the Force to throw him across the room. Eggsy felt the wind knocked out of himself when he hit the wall.

“The _fuck_?”

Merlin tossed the practice blade aside and took his lightsaber off his belt. It flared to life, glowing a soft purple. “Let’s call it a… training accident, shall we?”

“What?!”

“Yes. I will simply tell our Master that I… accidentally… killed you while trying to cause the level of pain you desired.”

“You son of an akk!”

Merlin shrugged and strode toward him. Eggsy got to his feet and shot lightning at him, but Merlin didn’t even slow. He tried again, this time with both hands; Merlin only laughed.

“Eggsy, Eggsy,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m a cybernetically enhanced human who has been the apprentice of a Darth who uses lightning on the regular. I’m _shielded_ against that.”

Merlin rushed him. He brought his weapon up, but instead of going for a kill, he drove the blade through Eggsy’s shoulder. Eggsy screamed in agony. Merlin pulled the blade from his shoulder and brought the weapon up.

Eggsy reacted without thought. Merlin felt himself slowing, as if he were trying to move through some particularly viscous liquid. Eggsy threw himself away from Merlin, crossing the arena in a flash. He held his hands out toward Merlin. Dark energy swirled around his hands and Merlin staggered and fell.

Eggsy watched him, coldly, as he struggled to rise. He rolled his shoulder. The pain was gone; the damage was gone. “What’s it they say about experiments? Replication?”

He held his hand out again. The dark energy swirled and Merlin cried out weakly. Eggsy hissed and tipped his head back. He’d felt like this once before. A Corellian trader had bought a couple hours with him and they’d done spice before fucking. He felt that same sort of high, except he didn’t feel out of control.

“Don’t worry, Custos. I’ll let Master know your death was a training accident.”

“I yield,” he choked.

“That’s nice.” He went over to Merlin and stood over him. “Oughta thank you, I guess. Helped me figure out what I needed to focus on.”

He held his hand out. Smoke started to rise around Merlin. This… this was what he’d felt. A need to preserve himself, to fight death. No, to force death to submit to him. And he thought he might just be able to. If he could take the very life force from a person, could he not use it to extend his own?

He felt a hand on his shoulder. It startled him out of his thoughts and the smoke vanished. He looked toward the owner and saw his Master. Caught. Fucking _caught_. Of course.

“That’s _enough_, Eggsy.”

“Yes, Master,” he grumbled.

He went to Merlin and crouched beside him. “Can you move?”

“Give me a minute,” he groaned softly. “Next time, _you_ can help him.”

Harry laughed softly. “Next time, perhaps not threatening to kill him would be ideal.”

“It worked,” he pointed out. “Eggsy didn’t need pain; he needed to feel afraid for his life.”

Harry helped Merlin to his feet. Merlin swayed and then put an arm around Harry again. Eggsy looked from one to the other.

“Wait… so… So the whole… training accident thing...?”

“It was bullshit, Eggsy,” Harry said, and not entirely unkindly. “If he had been planning on killing you, he would not have attacked you in such a non-fatal manner.”

Eggsy eyed him for a moment. “You were watching…?”

“From my office, yes.” Harry helped Merlin over to a bench and got him seated before turning his attention back to Eggsy. He nodded toward the prisoner. “Show me.”

Eggsy turned toward his prisoner. He held his hand out. Dark swirls of energy rose around the bound human and blew toward Eggsy. They wrapped around his hand and vanished, his eyes briefly glowing purple as he absorbed the human’s essence, his life force.

His head tipped back and he groaned softly. He wanted to keep draining the prisoner. It felt so… fucking… _good_. But then he felt Harry’s hand on his shoulder and he let his own hand drop. He looked up at his Master, the glow in his eyes subsiding.

“Apprentice, you are going to promise me one thing.”

“Of course, Master.”

“If I tell you to stop using these abilities, you _will_.”

Eggsy frowned and turned toward him. He sensed… worry… from his Master. “Yes, Master.”

“You will report to me any time you learn a new way to manipulate someone’s life force.”

Eggsy bowed. “As you demand.” He eyed Harry. “C’n I know why?”

Harry sighed. “These abilities… they are collectively referred to as ‘the Madness’. They are called that simply because most Sith that use them are rendered insane after only a few years. I have heard of very few who are capable of resisting that. It would be a poor...” He paused for just a moment. “...usage of such a promising apprentice.”

It would be a poor way to repay Lee’s sacrifice. He planned on telling Eggsy eventually, but… not right this second. According to Darth Cupio, the boy had no knowledge of any Force sensitivity in his line. Which meant he didn’t know his father had been someone’s apprentice.

Eggsy nodded. He felt an undeniable swell of pride at the idea of being a ‘promising’ apprentice. “I understand, Master. I’ll keep you informed.”


	23. Chapter 23

His thoughts were never far from his mother, nor from his sister. He had no god to pray to; he’d never had one. But... he _hoped_ for Dean to be treating them better than he’d treated his mother in the past. It wouldn’t save his old owner; nothing would. But it _would_, at least, make his mother’s life easier until he could kill Dean.

He thought about writing her. He thought about it often, but he didn’t dare. He wasn’t sure if Dean had caught wind of the fact that he hadn’t been executed. If the slaver hadn’t, Eggsy didn’t want to bring it to his attention. And… well… writing her would make the assumption that Dean would let her have the message. How likely was that even?

Within a standard month, Eggsy’s power and control had grown. He’d learned how to more effectively leech the essence out of his victim. His victim of choice was still the twi’lek, who he’d managed to keep nicely alive, even if the prisoner had aged a good fifty years. He knew he’d have to request a new victim before too much longer. Even with the kolto tank, the twi’lek’s essence was barely regenerating.

It wasn’t long after he’d needed a new victim that he started accompanying his Master everywhere. And it wasn’t long after _that _when he learned _why_ Harry wasn’t public about training Merlin; he ran into the other apprentice in the Citadel… and in his role as Minister of Intelligence. 

He traveled offworld as his Master went, sometimes with Merlin at their side and sometimes without. He wasn’t certain what they were really doing, except getting information on some Sith or another. Harry never named him, at least not when he was within earshot.

One trip, and without Merlin, took them to Nar Shaddaa and Harry met privately with a Devaronian named Vaarko Tiyai. He was a shade of red that was paler than Harry’s own, and had a pair of horns that swept back. Eggsy had always thought Devaronians looked sorta like demons from stories.

He waited outside the door, acting almost as a guard, while his Master had his meeting. He wanted to be inside, but he didn’t complain. He wasn’t really certain _why_ he was playing door-guard, but he trusted his Master had a reason.

He didn’t ask about the meeting, not until they were off the flashy and colorful hutt world and back on his Master’s ship. “Did you… learn anything useful?”

Harry eyed him for a moment and got a drink. He took a seat and then motioned to the bar. He waited until Eggsy had gotten himself a drink and joined him. “I haven’t spoken much about my last apprentice.”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, you ain’t. I take it that Devaronian is… connected.”

“In a sense, yes.” He paused, thinking how to best word it. “My apprentice was from Bryx originally. It… isn’t exactly a rich world. My old Master believed that my taking such a lowborn apprentice was an experiment.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes. Of _course_ his old Master did. Eggsy had no doubt his old Master was another pureblood. “So what’d he have to do with him?”

“Vaarko Tiyai is a slaver. After my apprentice was killed, his family vanished.”

Eggsy nodded slowly. “Like… even Custos couldn’t find him?”

Harry nodded. “Yes. For a long time, I’ve suspected my old Master was behind it. Custos recently uncovered a link between Tiyai and Basileus. Tiyai has just confirmed for me that he did, indeed, intercept my apprentice’s wife and son. He sold them under Basileus’ orders.”

Eggsy winced, thinking about how precious that apprentice had been to him. “So… what’s the plan?”

“The plan has _been_ to kill Basileus. Soon, I will have enough power to do so.”

Eggsy grinned. “C’n I help?”

“That would please me.” He paused before venturing further. “My apprentice’s family never knew he was Sith.”

“Why not?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t know. I never asked why he didn’t tell her.”

“Well… Sith ain’t exactly… you know…” he shrugged.

“Jedi?” Harry offered.

“Yeah, somethin’ like that.”

Harry nodded. “We tend to be cold, ruthless, more warlike.” He smiled a little. “A bit ‘evil’ by Republic standards.”

Eggsy laughed. “Yeah, that.”

“Well, I do hate to shatter more of your illusions, but the Jedi are little different from the Sith. They’re just as cold and ruthless. They’re considered ‘good’ because they support the Republic.” He paused. “I’ve approached several of them, under a banner of truce. They’ve attacked every time, simply because of my being Sith. It doesn’t matter to them that I believe we can coexist.”

Eggsy frowned a little. “That does kinda shatter some illusions.”

Harry laughed softly. “Yes. Meeting with them will do that to anyone.” He watched Eggsy for a moment. “He was your father, Eggsy.”

Eggsy blinked and shook his head. “Who was? I know you don’t mean one of the Jedi.”

Harry sighed softly and just watched Eggsy for a moment. “The apprentice who died for me.”

Eggsy stared at him. “My dad…? Really? That’s… that’s what happened to him?”

“Yes.”

Eggsy sat back. “We always… thought he just left us. I mean, one day he’s off doin’ a stint with the military, then he’s just up an’ gone. Mum got in contact with ‘em and they said he’d never been with them. So we just…” He shook his head and shrugged 

“No, Eggsy,” he said softly. “Lee was the most loyal man I’ve ever known.”

Eggsy was quiet for a moment. “Your old Master… is _why_ our transport was boarded? He’s _why_ my mum and I ended up with Dean?”

Harry nodded. “Yes, Eggsy.”

Eggsy sighed through clenched teeth. “Yeah, I wanna help kill him.” He paused, eyeing Harry. “And… about my mum…”

“I’ve taken care of Dean.”

Eggsy sat up again. “What? When?”

“When Custos and I left for a month. He was wanted by the Gree Enclave. We convinced them to breech Hutt space to take him.”

Eggsy grinned. “Can I visit her?”

“Not yet. I don’t want Basileus to realize I know.”

“Won’t… that Devaronian tell him?”

Harry smiled coldly. “He’ll find it a difficult task to do so posthumously.” He paused. “And once we are able to, your mother will be brought to Dromund Kaas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harry isn't just shitting on the Jedi, promise. If you take the right options during the Sith Warrior storyline, you can actually approach several Jedi peacefully and be attacked because "no, you're a Sith".


	24. Chapter 24

Eggsy slipped inside Harry’s stronghold. It had been two months since the meeting with Vaarko Tiyai. Thanks to the stealth technology that Darth Basileus had used all those years ago, Eggsy had managed to remain completely undetected on an Imperial transport. He shut down the personal cloaking shield and let out a soft hiss. It kept others from sensing him through the Force, yes, but it also fucked with _his_ abilities to sense with the Force. And now that he could sense with the Force again, he whirled in surprise. His hand fell to his lightsaber and it took a moment before he realized who he had sensed.

“Good way to get yourself killed,” he snapped.

“I could say the same for you,” Merlin chided.

Eggsy gave him a sour look and then shrugged. Merlin was right; he should have checked to be certain he was alone _before_ shutting that off. But he felt _safe_ in Harry’s stronghold. He reminded himself, again, that such an illusion was why his father was dead.

“Where’s our Master?”

“Sith party.”

Eggsy nodded and got his holocom. He’d left it behind when he’d gone on his mission, as part of his cover story. It chimed twice before he saw Harry’s face appear. “You asked me to contact you when I got back.”

“So I did. Did you learn much?”

Eggsy laughed and tipped his head back. “Where _not_ to hit a gundark?”

“Well, I _suppose_ that is something. I left something for you in the training room. Call it a… ‘welcome back’ present.”

Eggsy nodded. “Thank you, Master. I’ll see to it at once.” He disconnected and looked at Merlin. “Is there… actually somethin’?”

“Yes. I found a holocron I thought you might find… interesting.” He paused and eyed Eggsy. “There’s something from Harry, as well, although _that_ isn’t in the training room.”

Eggsy’s brow rose at the use of their Master’s name. “Oh yeah?”

Merlin nodded to a thin package on the counter. Eggsy went over to it and opened it. Inside was a pair of dancer’s leggings. He eyed Merlin for a moment before taking them up to his room to try them on.

They were almost like chaps, except that they were also open along the hips and the sides of his thighs. The waistband and the bands above the knees were black. The sheer material that hugged his thighs and ended just above his calves was bright green in the front and black in the back. The only part he didn’t like… was the tight thong that went with them. That… was easily remedied and he pulled his skirt back around himself to cover the leggings.

Merlin eyed Eggsy for a moment when he returned. He was disappointed that he was, apparently, to be left out of whatever sexual intimacy happened between Harry and Eggsy but… that _was_ Eggsy’s choice. However much he might enjoy bending someone to his will and breaking them down, there _was_ a line between that and rape which he wasn’t exactly willing to cross.

“That party supposed to be long?”

Merlin shrugged slightly. “One would expect one of these parties to be… interesting. I’ve yet to meet a Darth who enjoys them. Too much talking and not enough drinking, I believe.”

“The fuck kinda party is _that_? Take away the alcohol, and it sounds like a Jedi’s idea of a party.”

Merlin laughed. “Yes, well… these are parties among _politicians_. Whatever else the highest ranking Sith may be, they are _also_ politicians.”

“Oh, _fuck _that.”

Merlin nodded. “Harry will, no doubt, use your return as an excuse to leave the party. I’d expect him within a quarter of an hour.”

Eggsy grinned. “You wanna see ‘em before he gets here?”

Merlin’ brow rose. “I am… quite capable of waiting.”

“Mm-hmm.” He walked over to where Merlin was sitting. “So… do I get to know your _real_ name?”

Merlin smirked ever so slightly. “You _are_ aware that my identity has been stripped from all of my records? The perk of being the Minister of Intelligence is that I am no one.”

Eggsy leaned over him, and put his hands on the sofa back. “If I get to call _him_ ‘Harry’ when he fucks me, you bet your arse I ain’t callin’ _you_ ‘Custos’.”

He brought his hands up, letting them trail along Eggsy’s thighs and to his arse, guiding the other apprentice to straddle his lap. “Merlin.”

Eggsy laughed softly and bent to Custos’... to _Merlin’s_… neck. He bit, hard enough to be just on the painful side of pleasure. “The fuck kinda name is that?”

He let out a throaty growl, his hands tightening on Eggsy’s arse. “It is a very old human name, thank you.”

“Mm-hmm.”

He leaned back and slowly pulled open the clasps of Merlin’s robe, letting his fingers trail down his chest to each successive one. As the robe slowly opened, Eggsy could finally see what Merlin wore under it. It almost looked like a flight suit. It was black and made of that same silk-like material Harry wore. Eggsy let his fingers trail along it, frowning slightly at how… odd… the texture was.

“Travella,” Merlin said. “Armored silk, and quite expensive.”

“Which is why Harry wears so much of it.”

Merlin nodded. “Naturally.”

Eggsy slid off of his lap and got to his knees. He pulled open the rest of the clasps open, revealing loose-fitting trousers made of the same material. He sat up on his knees, fingers deftly untying the sash at Merlin’s waist.

Merlin reached out and wrapped his fingers in Eggsy’s hair. He pulled, hard; hard enough to make the young man gasp. A slow smile, one tinged with cruelty, spread across his face. Like Harry, he’d wondered how high Eggsy’s pain tolerance was. He wanted to test it, to push the young man to his limit and beyond; to see how far beyond that limit he could go. Not to break him, of course. Toys were no fun once they were broken.

He let go of Eggsy’s hair and watched as the young man undid his trousers. Eggsy found the bottom of a short robe beneath it; it was plain and simple. Eggsy knew Sith who tended toward robes wore them as undergarments. He pulled it open, and was unsurprised at finding Merlin bare beneath it. Bare, and with a half-formed erection.

“No enhancements?” Eggsy asked with feigned innocence.

Merlin grabbed a handful of Eggsy’s hair and pulled him down towards his cock. “There are _better_ uses for your mouth, _boy_.”

Eggsy laughed and licked the underside of his cock. “Have one in mi-”

Merlin pushed him down mid-word, forcing the boy to take him to the root. He could feel Eggsy’s face against his body; his light struggles. He heard a choked and muffled noise from him and laughed softly. “Can’t breathe?” And then he felt _teeth_; lightly enough, but clearly a warning. He laughed and let go of Eggsy’s hair. “Sometime, we’ll have to see how long you can hold your breath.”

Eggsy looked up at him and winked. He could hold it a good while if he had warning. It would be something to do _next_ time. For _now_, however, his slid his hands up Merlin’s thighs as he started to find a rhythm that he could hear Merlin reacting well to. Since he’d been free, he’d found that he _enjoyed_ sucking cock. He liked the feeling it gave him with the focus entirely on his partner. He liked that _he_ was making them feel good because he _wanted_ to. He liked the feeling of being in control of what happened.

“Give me your hands,” Merlin breathed.

Eggsy slid his hands up Merlin’s stomach until he took them. Merlin twined his fingers around Eggsy’s own. Eggsy gave him a curious look, accentuating it a bit so he didn’t have to stop what he was doing.

Merlin didn’t answer him in words; instead, he manipulated the Force running through him. Eggsy started to feel something almost like heat running up his arms. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation. It was warm and almost soothing. But then it turned painful and he cried out from the surprise of it.

He pulled off of Merlin. “The fuck?”

“If you _object_…”

“No, just…” He shook his head. “Some _warning_ would be nice.”

Merlin laughed softly. “I’ll remember that for next time. Now, why don’t you get back to what you were doing. And Eggsy?” He paused. “You _will_ tell me if it gets to be too much for you.”

He nodded and took Merlin’s cock back into his mouth. He felt the warmth again, and then the pain. He grunted from it, but didn’t tell Merlin to stop; Harry had put him through more intense pain. Merlin slowly increased the intensity until Eggsy screamed. He bucked his hips up; the feeling of Eggsy’s scream on his cock was a _lovely_ thing that sent jolts of pleasure coursing through him.

Merlin dropped the intensity and left the warm, soothing sensation. He felt Eggsy breathing hard around him. He waited until Eggsy’s breathing had calmed and then ramped up the intensity again, pushing him further this time. Eggsy screamed again, pressing hard against Merlin.

This time, Merlin didn’t relent. He pressed one of their linked hands against the back of Eggsy’s head and held him in place as he bucked his hips up at him, fucking the young man’s mouth. It wasn’t long before Merlin felt drops of wetness on his thighs and realized he’d made Eggsy cry from the pain. He tipped his head back with a moan of pleasure, pushed over the edge by those tears. He pressed Eggsy hard against him, forcing Eggsy to take every bit of him, and came down his throat.

He sighed with pleasure, and then switched back to the soothing warmth. “Such a good boy,” he said softly. 

He guided Eggsy up into his lap and held him close. He could feel the young man trembling. Eggsy pressed against his chest, crying softly from the pain and wanting to bury himself in the warmth. Merlin pet his back, whispering softly that he’d been so _good_ until Eggsy quieted.

“If it was too much…”

Eggsy shook his head a little. “Was gettin’ to be there at the end.”

Merlin curled his fingers under Eggsy’s chin and made him look up. And, _fuck_, Harry hadn’t been wrong about how beautiful pain made him. The tears on his face; the way his skin had paled a few shades, making his green-gold eyes stand out all the more; the traces of pain in them.

“_Stars_, you’re lovely.” He kissed Eggsy’s forehead. “You took it very well; I’m pleased”

He smiled shyly at the praise. “So… the fuck were you even doin’?”

“It’s something I realized I was capable of during an interrogation. Understandably, I have had to keep from using it.” He paused. “You understand that the Force isn’t simply around us, but inside of us, as well? I simply… manipulated it, similar to how it is used to create lightning.”

Eggsy relaxed against him, waiting for the trembling to pass and just enjoying how Merlin was soothing him. They were still sitting like that, Eggsy starting to drift off, when Harry finally returned. Eggsy could sense his irritation and started up from Merlin.

“You needn’t move,” he said and sat beside them. “You’re to appear before the Dark Council tomorrow. Apparently, they have some questions for you.”

Eggsy frowned slightly. “Thought you said they wouldn’t suspect me…”

“_They_ don’t; _Basileus_ does.”


	25. Chapter 25

Eggsy tried to not gawk at the Dark Council Chamber. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it was _huge_. There were massive statues along the side walls, six on each side. In front of them were raised semicircles with six thrones on each. They all had high backs and each on its own dais. In the center was a hexagon with decorative edges; it was large enough to be a fighting arena.

Only seven of the twelve seats were occupied, either by a Darth or their holoprojection. There were two human females; two human males; a cyborg male; a huge male fully covered in spiked black and red body armor, wearing both a mask and a hood; and a leather clad, bright pink twi’lek with black facial tattoos that continued down her lekku.

The last member of the Dark Council - Darth Basileus - was standing at the far end of the hexagon. He was a pureblood sith with thinning, black hair and deep red skin. He had two pointed studs in his lower lip and three sets of matching earrings. Eggsy knew the man had to be older than Harry, and he knew Harry was in his 50s. Yet Basileus still looked… _vital_.

“Darth Vindicta,” the cyborg began, “you are not needed for this.”

“On the contrary, Darth Ravage, it is _my _apprentice being questioned. By questioning _his_ involvement, you question _mine_.”

Ravage nodded. “Very well.”

“Apprentice, you stand accused of the destruction of Darth Basileus’ stronghold on Alderaan,” said one of the human males, one who was there via holoprojection.

Eggsy laughed disbelievingly. “I did _what_ now?”

“Keep your place, slave,” Basileus snapped.

“Funny, thought I stopped being a slave, oh, a year ago.”

Basileus nearly snarled at him; Eggsy winked.

“Lemme rephrase then,” Eggsy said, addressing the Council. “_How_ did I do this?”

“That’s a good question,” the twi’lek drawled. “How _did_ a mere apprentice do any of this? The rumors of my killing Darth Skotia while an apprentice were _one_ thing, but _this_?” She laughed. “I do hope you plan to elaborate on how this apprentice caused such destruction.”

“I would think it fairly obvious. You all know of my… _disagreement_… with Darth Vindicta. He took a slave for an apprentice because he obviously believed that the boy would die in the attempt. He sliced into my security network, disabled the stronghold’s security systems while creating a looped signal that would keep me from being alerted, went down to my private generator, and left explosives. Once he was out again, he detonated them.”

Eggsy shook his head. “Okay, okay, so… I’m a former slave who has become a Sith apprentice. Somehow, in my spare time here, I’ve become a master slicer. I also know how to rig a bomb and I apparently didn’t bother using the Force at all during this.” He nodded. “Yeah, sounds like a Sith did it, alright.”

“If I may,” Harry drawled, “Alderaan is still experiencing the fallout from their civil war. Is it not possible that a _team_ of Republic soldiers did this? Certainly it sounds to be the work of more than one person.”

“He makes a good point,” the one in black and red armor drawled. “This _sounds _more like the work of a team and not a Sith apprentice.”

“Also, my apprentice has been on sabbatical in the jungle for the past two weeks. _I_ have not left Dromund Kaas; my _ship_ has not left Dromund Kaas; you may check with the docking bay. Therefore his only way off planet would have been aboard public transport.” He paused. “So, where are the records of the transport he took to Alderaan?”

Basileus was positively glowering at Harry. “There is no one else who would have made such a blatant move against me except for _you_, Vindicta.”

He tipped his head slightly in agreement. “Yes, except that I think we’ve proved it could not have been myself or my apprentice.” He looked to the Council. “Shall we waste more of your time?”

“I think _not_,” the armored Sith snapped.

Harry bowed politely and led Eggsy out of the chambers. They were nearly out of the Sanctum when they heard someone call for Harry. They turned to see a short man in an Imperial uniform jogging toward them.

“Terribly sorry to bother you, my Lord. Lieutenant Talos Drellik,” he said with a salute. “I realize one does not normally see Imperial soldier in the Sith Sanctum, but my current assignment is to a Darth. She would like a word with you, if you’d follow me, please.”

“Very well,” Harry said.

He nodded at Eggsy and followed the soldier. He was barely out of sight when Eggsy heard a quiet voice behind him.

“Someday you’ll have to tell me how you did it.”

He turned around and found himself face-to-face with the pink twi’lek. Close up, he could see the slave brand on her face. He could also see that not all of the darkness on her face was from her tattoos; some of it was the sort of physical corruption that happened to some Sith.

“Darth Nox.” He bowed. “And I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

She nodded. “They’ll never believe an apprentice, much less one who was a slave, is worth anything. Not until you’ve killed two or three Darths.” She tittered. “Although most of them still don’t _really_ believe I killed Skotia.”

“Ask me again then,” he said with a wink. “After I’ve killed my three Darths.”

“Don’t think I won’t. But for now… I think I’ll go rescue your Master from Talos. He’s a bit like an excitable akk whelp, especially around antiquities… of which I have several in my office.”

He watched her saunter away with a bit of a grin on his face. Not because he’d been personally addressed by a member of the Council, or because twi’leks were naturally graceful and sensual in their movements. It was because Nox had started where he’d started. She was sort of the goal; to go from slave to one of the twelve (well, _eight_ right now) most powerful Sith in the galaxy. Although, he thought he’d be willing to settle for being a Darth with Harry on the Council. It was a bit un-Sith of him, but he wasn’t actually relishing the idea of killing his Master.


	26. Chapter 26

After they returned to the stronghold, Eggsy went down to the training area. He was feeling good, sorta hopped up. He’d blown up a stronghold and convinced the Council he’d had nothing to do with it. Sure, Nox had known better, but she _got_ it. 

He wasn’t sure he was quite in the mood to torture his toy (this one was a trandoshan, a bipedal and tailless reptile), but he could work on his other abilities. It wasn’t until he got in there and saw it waiting for him that he remembered Merlin had gotten him a holocron. He summoned it to himself and activated it.

He’d used one before, one that had been made by a Jedi, and he fully expected this one to have been made by a Sith. But when he activated it, it was three Jedi that appeared. Eggsy listened as he one explained about how to shift the Force from one person to another; how to rebalance their life essence; how to drain it from one person and take it into oneself. And then he demonstrated it on one of the other Jedi, after which the third Jedi healed him.

Eggsy stared in _amazement_. Because _the Jedi used this ability_. Except when the Jedi used it, the energy glowed almost yellow, not black and purple. He listened as the Jedi continued on, explaining _how_ to rebalance life essences. It was the focus that was different, but the result was the same… _except _for the risk of madness.

He took the holocron into the storage room where they kept his victims. The trandoshan had aged noticeably since Eggsy had obtained him; his once green and shiny scales were white and dull. Eggsy set the holocron down and tried to focus on the calm within. He reached out and felt the Force within himself and within the trandoshan. And he _could_ feel their life forces. He could feel how full his own was and how low the trandoshan’s was. He pushed at it and he felt it shift, like water.

He pulled at it and felt it resisting him. He wanted to get angry, but he knew he had to keep calm; he had to use that the same way he used the anger. It was odd, calling on that calm center that Harry compared to the eye of a storm. He pulled again, and this time he felt the shift a little easier, and then it gave into him. He felt the trandoshan’s essence filling him again, but this time there wasn’t the high that came with the other method.

He grinned, and then he faltered. This was clearly a Jedi ability; a Light Side ability. Why would his Master give him that? Why would he want him to learn it? It made him think about the _other_ holocron he’d looked at. It had been while he was still on Korriban.

He’d found it in the back of the libraries, under stacks of old datapads and about a millennium’s worth of dust. He’d watched it, watched an old, brown man with a close-cropped grey beard talk about seeing neither the Light Side nor the Dark Side, but only in grey. He did not allow his emotions to control him, as the Sith did, and nor did he repress them, as the Jedi did. He let them guide him and _he_ controlled _them_.

Eggsy looked down at the holocron. He hadn’t _dared_ ask any of his instructors about him at the Academy. He’d listened, and learned, about how the Light Side corrupts and weakens. But if it weakened, why would his Master have shown it to him?

He picked it up and went out to find Harry. Eggsy found him in his study and he held up the holocron. “C’n I ask you somethin’ about this... Harry?”

Harry’s brow rose. His apprentice normally only called him by name when they were doing something sexual. He assumed the use of it now meant Eggsy wanted to speak to him but not as Master and apprentice.

“Alright.” He motioned to a seat.

“It’s a Jedi made holocron.”

Harry nodded. “One can generally tell by the shape whether it is Jedi or Sith. The Sith have obtained a great many of the Jedi holocrons.”

“Why show me this one? Why teach me a Light Side method?”

Harry eyed him for a moment. “Why do _you_ think I did it?”

Eggsy shrugged and slouched back in the chair. He crossed his arms and looked away from Harry. “So I don’t go all mental?”

“Very good.”

Eggsy was quiet for a moment. “So, um… you like… buy into this whole ‘seeing in grey’ shit?”

Harry’s gaze sharpened. “Where did you learn about that?”

He shrugged again. “Holocron on Korriban. Found it.” He paused and eyed Harry for a moment before continuing on hesitantly. “Was made by a Jedi… named, um, Jolee Bindo?”

Harry nodded in understanding. “JB.”

“Yeah.” Eggsy laughed nervously and looked down. “I mean, I mean I know it’s shit.”

“Then… why not just dismiss the holocron?” He paused. “Since we’re speaking as Harry and Eggsy, and not Master and apprentice.”

Eggsy looked up at him. “So like… you ain’t gonna like…” He shook his head.

“No, I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Eggsy sighed. “If there wasn’t any power in the Light Side, why do they go on and on about it bein’ so weak? And how come there’re still Jedi if there’s nothing to the Light Side?” He paused. “And Jolee Bindo… he like…”

“He walked the line between the Dark and Light sides.”

“Yeah…”

He watched Eggsy for a few moments before reaching into his desk and taking something out. He tossed it to Eggsy, who caught it. It was a small token. 

“What’s this?”

“It… is something I was given many years ago.” He paused. “Tomorrow, I want you to take your speeder and head into the jungle toward the Colossus. As you’re approaching, there will be a pair of hills with a camouflaged pathway between them. Follow that. Show the token to the person you meet.”

Eggsy looked down at the token again. He knew the token had something to do with the holocron, or his answer to Harry, anyway. He had a feeling that if he hadn’t been… open… to what Harry had shown him that he wouldn’t have been given it. Which meant Harry was _trusting_ him.

“I’ll do as you say, Master.”


	27. Chapter 27

It took him a while to find the pathway. It was well grown over, but once he was out of sight of the road, it became more obvious. He followed it deep into the jungle, until he found a camp. There were only a couple dozen people there and the camp was cordoned off. He parked the speeder by the gate and approached it.

An older human approached him and shook his head. “There’s nothing here for you. We don’t have any extra supplies. Turn back.”

Eggsy held out the token. “Was told ta bring this here.”

He took his from Eggsy and then nodded. “Well, then you _are_ in the right place. Come in, come in.”

Eggsy let himself be led into the camp and to one of the tents. They passed a couple Sith he’d seen a few times and some he’d never seen before. He wondered how they all got to the camp; if they walked or just hid their speeders somewhere.

The man he’d met at the gate pointed out a young woman in a hooded cloak. Eggsy could tell from her hands that she was a pureblood and she had two lightsabers at her waist. He went over to her and cleared his throat.

“Welcome, initiate,” she said as she turned toward him. “To-” She cut herself off and pushed the hood back. “Eggsy!”

“Rox?” He shook his head. “What’m I being initiated into?”

She grinned. “The Order of Revan.”

“The what now?”

She took him by the arm and led him deeper into the camp. “We follow the teachings of Revan. There are Sith and non-Sith, purebloods and aliens alike.”

Eggsy made a soft sound of acknowledgement. The Empire regarded anyone who wasn’t human or sith as ‘alien’. Chiss, with their bright blue skin and solid red eyes, were _barely_ kept out of the category because they were useful. Purebloods, of course, considered everyone else to be ‘alien’, despite the fact that all purebloods were part human.

“Revan… was a Darth Lord, yeah?”

“Yes, and no.” She paused. “Revan was a Jedi, who became a Sith, and then… became more.”

“What d’you mean, ‘more’?”

She smiled slowly. “Revan was stripped of everything: of mind, of life, of power. But… Revan survived and relearned the ways of the Force. Revan defeated their enemies and came here. The Master of the Order preserved Revan’s life so others could learn from it, so others could learn to walk the line between the Dark and the Light, between War and Peace.”

“Oh,” he nodded, “like Jolee Bindo.”

She blinked. “Well, you’re full of surprises, aren’t you?” She laughed softly. “Jolee Bindo traveled with Revan at one point. His philosophy wasn’t dissimilar; he sought to walk the line between Light and Dark as well.”

“Yeah, he called it ‘grey’.”

“That’s… a fair assessment, I think,” she nodded. “This is where we learn Revan’s philosophy and to not fear the Light side. We walk his path.”

Eggsy nodded slowly. That explained why Harry had learned to use that calm center within, and why he was being taught to do the same. And why Merlin had gotten him that holocron. “So, Vin-”

She clapped her hand over his mouth. “We’re heretics,” she hissed. “Yes, he is, but don’t…”

“Even here?”

She nodded. “The first rule of a terror cell is you never know who everyone is.”

“Wait, what?”

She smiled grimly. “It’s how the Council looks at us and, thus, how we have to operate in ways. But you will never be asked to commit acts against the Empire. Not beyond… trying to help us change it from within.”

“You want to _change_ the Empire?”

She shrugged. “Do _you_ want people like Basileus in charge forever?”

Eggsy made a sour face. “_Fuck_ him.” He nodded. “Alright, yeah, I’m in. I guess. Where do I start?”

She grinned wickedly. “First, you have to die.”

“I… _what_ now?”

“It’s where Revan’s journey began, so it’s where _our_ journey begins.”

He shook his head. “So you? You _died_?”

She nodded. “Yes. I died and I was reborn.”

He eyed her warily. Basileus’ words about Harry taking him on because he was expendable came back to him. But… he dismissed them just as quickly. If his options were to trust Harry or trust Basileus, he’d pick Harry every time. And Harry had sent him here.

“Right, then. So… you just gonna run me through or…?”

“Nothing so crass,” she giggled darkly. “There’s a cave beyond the camp. Go there and meditate. There, you will die.”

He nodded and left her. The cave was easy enough to find; there was a path leading from the camp, up a hill, and right into it. The cave was dark, lit only at small intervals. It was a short while before he ended up in the main chamber of the cave.

There was a raised, circular platform carved out of the rock. Stairs led up to it; stairs which had been meticulously carved. There were four obelisks evenly spaced, two to each side of the stairs. Directly across from the stairs was a towering statue of Revan. Revan’s statue was genderless, their face covered. An altar stood before the statue, a blazing fire to either side. On it were artifacts from Revan’s life: helmets, a couple staves, a pair of actual swords. And in the center, a mask; one that matched, exactly, the mask the statue wore.

Eggsy knelt before the altar. He didn’t know what to meditate on, but he barely had time to wonder. The fires flared and spread, encircling him, the altar, and the statue. Eggsy jumped up and back from the fire. He turned in a circle, confirming that he was, indeed, trapped. 

And then a figure, one who looked as solid as he was, walked through the fire. It was dressed as Revan, masked as them. Eggsy knew it was either some variety of Force ghost - one very _solid_ fucking ghost - or one of the Revanites. It approached him, _passed through him_, and then vanished.

The obelisks glowed with purple-tinged electricity and he was enveloped in Force Lightning. He couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. All he could do was endure the pain as he felt the life leaving him. As the darkness overtook him, he realized he didn’t blame Harry for this. He’d made the choice; he’d been _told_ he would die, and he walked to his death.

He expected nothing more than to find himself one with the Force or a Force ghost, but... Eggsy awoke in the camp. He didn’t know how he’d gotten there, or how he’d survived. He pushed himself up, staggered, and steadied himself. Roxy was standing nearby, her arms crossed and an amused little smile on her lips.

“How does it feel?” she asked. “To stand here, dripping with the blood of the womb, reborn? No longer chained to your past, your burdens, your obligations?”

Eggsy shook his head. “I don’t… feel different.” He was still chained to his obligations to his mother and his sister. Not that he considered it being ‘chained’.

Roxy shook her head. “That’s fine. Not everyone feels something at first. I didn’t.”

“So what now?”

“Now… you train with us for a time.” She smiled softly. “There will be others who’ll test you, and once you’re done, you’ll be a Revanite and you’ll be brought before the Master.”

“Am I… like… theirs now?”

She shook her head. “No, you’re still your Master’s apprentice.”

He nodded. “So… Revan… Male? Female?”

She shrugged. “The records are unclear. But… given that we know Revan had a child and the family name of the descendants, I would assume male.”

Eggsy shook his head. “Who?”

“Shan.” She paused. “As in Grand Master Satele Shan of the Jedi Order.”

“Could she be lying?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. It’s not as if we can get into the Jedi Council’s records. But she _is_ descended from Bastilla Shan, who was involved in events surrounding Revan.”

Eggsy was quiet for a moment. Really, he kinda liked the idea of Revan being this mysterious person of indeterminate gender. He wasn’t certain why; he thought it might be because it… _added_ something to the whole following their teachings thing.

“Alright,” he said. “Where to now?”

She motioned for him to follow her and led him to one of the tents to begin learning.


	28. Chapter 28

It was the better part of three weeks before he returned. He felt more powerful, even though they hadn’t taught him any real abilities. They had, however, expanded upon the meditation practices that Harry had taught him. He knew he’d never betray the Empire or turn to the Light Side, but he _would_ tread the line between the Light and the Dark.

Harry, Merlin, and Roxy’s Master - Darth Adcuratus, a pureblood Eggsy had met once - were sitting in the lounge. Eggsy bowed politely, mostly facing his Master, but not facing away from Roxy’s own. He wasn’t certain why the Darth was there, or why Merlin was dressed as a Sith in front of him, but if it was his business, he knew he’d find out.

“Back from our mutual friends,” Harry said. “I take it you found them agreeable.”

Eggsy’s eyes darted to Adcuratus. Sure, Roxy had been there, but that didn’t mean her Master was a Revanite, as well. “Yes, Master. I found them… most agreeable.”

Harry laughed softly. “Adcuratus is also a friend of theirs.”

Eggsy nodded and looked to him. “It’s good to see you again, my Lord.”

Adcuratus nodded once. “You, as well, Eggsy.”

“Take a seat, apprentice.” Harry waited until he sat. “Custos?”

Merlin scanned the room and then nodded. “As far as my implants can tell, everything _is_ secure and we can speak freely.”

Harry nodded. He knew that it was _possible_ there was someone in the room, the way the assassin had crept in once. But he also knew that Merlin had used that personal cloaking device to upgrade his own implants. Unless Basileus had managed to have another device created - one that didn’t work in the same way as the old one - he felt they were safe enough.

“We are going to make another… attack.”

“Yes, Master.” Eggsy grinned; the obvious target was Basileus, himself.

Harry held up a hand. “Not on Basileus.”

Eggsy shook his head. “Then who?”

Harry smiled with amusement. “We’re going to kill the Minister of Intelligence.”

Eggsy frowned and looked at Merlin, and then back at Harry. “What…? We’re going to _what_?”

Merlin laughed softly. “The Minister of Intelligence, not me.” He smirked at Eggsy’s confusion. “I don’t know how much you are aware of what happened here several years ago…”

“Not at all.”

He nodded. “Without going into too much detail, Dromund Kaas was attacked and Intelligence scrambled for quite a while to pinpoint who did it, why, and then find out the real motives. One of my operatives had to… leave and become a freelance operative. I was promoted to Minister during this.” He paused. “There is no retiring from such a position.”

Eggsy shook his head. “You just… tired of the double life?”

“Yes,” he paused. “Do you know much about Nar Shaddaa?”

Eggsy shook his head and shrugged. “It’s colorful, hutt controlled, fulla spice-heads and slavers.”

“There is an area known as Shadow Town. While it appears to be a slum, it’s actually a prison. Servants of the Empire who become unreliable but are too important to kill are remanded to Shadow Town for the rest of their lives. Scientists, assassins, genetic experiments… intelligence operatives. Given what I was involved in, the secrets I know, I am quite aware of the fate in store for me.”

“Can’t you just… break out?”

Merlin smiled grimly. “Prisoners are controlled by cranial implants that explode if they cross the boundary. And… there are other methods.”

“Like?”

“Mind control,” he said. “I… authorized a rather severe form on one of my operatives; I had no choice. It’s called the Castellan Restraint. A particular codeword is said and you lose the ability to move, speak… _anything_ until you are otherwise commanded. And should whoever is using your programming give you a command - you cannot say a specific word, for example - you will never be capable of it until released.” He paused. “Those same restraints were put on me quite a number of years ago. There are… few methods of overcoming it.”

“So how’d you do it?”

“Well…” he smirked. “I discovered why, exactly, Force Sensitives are forbidden from entering Intelligence, aside from the preference - and now law - for them to go to Korriban. Between Vindicta’s abilities and my own, I’ve managed to overcome it. And now, I’d like to leave that service.”

“Alright. I’m in.” Eggsy nodded. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

“I have a holodisguise,” Merlin began. “Darth Adcuratus will use it to appear to be one of the Alderaanian radicals I personally detained. He and I will prerecord, using a terminal that isn’t connected to the network, a scene with the radical in my office. He will have a dummy thermal detonator and he will appear to have me at blaster point. He’ll claim his actions are for an Empire-free Alderaan and then appear to detonate it. An actual thermal detonator in my office will be remotely triggered at the appropriate time. I will save the video to my cybernetics so that, when I upload it, it will appear to have been live.”

“Alright,” Eggsy nodded. “Where do I fit in?”

Merlin just watched Eggsy for a moment. That… had been how his operative had worded it so many times. “The day of the explosion, you will bring a clone to me. Intelligence is under the impression that I am more machine than man.”

“That’s twisted.”

“Yes. It does happen with some cyborgs. I’ve… allowed… falsified medical records to be in my files long after they should have been deleted. An oversight, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“The clone will leave the correct DNA residue. I already have the cybernetics in my office so that _those_ traces will exist. You’ll meet a man at the dock in Kaas City. You will be using the holodisguise to appear as my operative, and he will deliver a prisoner who has been frozen in carbonite. You’ll bring it to me, remain for a while, and leave. A few hours later, you’ll return, this time with the holodisguise showing the radical. You’ll tell them you have an appointment with me, and you’ll be shown to my office. We’ll use the personal cloaking devices to slip out and then remotely trigger the detonator.”

Eggsy nodded. “Sounds simple enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adcuratus: Accurate/Exact/With care/Carefully performed


	29. Chapter 29

The day of Eggsy went out into the jungle on his speeder, parked it, and then put on the holodisguise. He looked down at himself, saw the Imperial uniform and the breasts, and nodded to himself. It seemed to be working just fine. He headed toward the nearest taxi and took it into Kaas CIty. 

He headed toward the dock, which was a bit beyond the cantina. He was nearly past it when a woman rounded the corner. Her eyes widened in surprise and then she headed straight for him. Eggsy knew who she was; she was the current Keeper. But he hadn’t expected to run into her.

“Cipher Nine! It’s been some time.” She paused. “Well…” She offered an apologetic smile. “I know that isn’t your name any longer, but I don’t know what you go by these days.”

Neither did Eggsy. Neither had Merlin. Whoever Cipher Nine was now, she had been keeping it to herself.

“Great to see you, Keeper,” he said, his voice a perfect replica of Nine’s own. It was so strange hearing both a woman’s voice and an Imperial accent coming from his mouth. “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, well, with everything that happened after Corellia…” She sighed softly. “Has… the Minister informed you of any of it?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Darth Zhorrid tried to disband Imperial Intelligence. The Minister… made a deal with her.”

Eggsy’s eyes narrowed slightly. “May I ask what it was?”

“Castellan Restraints were placed on all current members of Intelligence, even ones who will never attain a high enough rank to be of any threat. All of us are to be remanded to Shadow Town at the end of our careers, no matter what.” She paused. “I know I can trust you to keep quiet about this.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yes, of course.”

“It’s… fortunate you escaped this.” She paused. “Enough ‘shop talk’, as they say. Would you join me for a drink?”

Eggsy laughed. “_You_ drink?”

She nodded. “I took it up shortly after the compromise was made.”

“Well, I’d love to, but I’m here on business.”

“Oh! Don’t let me keep you then.” She smiled a little. “It’s been nice seeing you.”

“You, too.”

Eggsy all but held his breath as he walked away from her. Once he was certain she was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully that would be the only hurdle.

He arrived at the dock and a man waved to him.

“Agent.”

He went over to him. “I believe you have something for me.”

He nodded and opened a crate. A slab of carbonite was inside. He pushed it out and it hovered in mid-air. Eggsy looked it over. The face in the carbonite didn’t look like Merlin and he was relieved by that.

“All I need now is your thumb scan, Agent.”

Eggsy frowned. Disguise or no, the only scan it would record was _his_.

“Is there a problem, Agent?”

Eggsy reached out with his senses. The closest person was out of earshot. He sighed inwardly, relieved. “Not at all.” He waved his hand. “You already took my thumb scan.”

“I already took your thumb scan,” he repeated numbly.

“And it came back blank. It’s an Intelligence thing.” Eggsy smiled slowly as the delivery man repeated his words. “I’m cleared to take him and you have other deliveries to make.”

“You’re cleared to take him and I have other deliveries to make.”

Eggsy took control of the carbonite slab and started toward Imperial Intelligence and just hoped - fucking _hoped_ \- that was the last bump in the road.


	30. Chapter 30

He got the clone the rest of the way to Merlin without incident. He got back to his speeder and went to another point in the jungle. He sensed Darth Adcuratus and slowed as he piloted the speeder over to him. He parked it and dismounted.

“My Lord,” he said as he bowed.

“Lord Custos has your other… props.”

“Very good, my Lord.”

“I’ll take your speeder home and I’ll be outside Imperial Intelligence in a cloaked ship. Lord Custos knows the frequency to scan for and will be able to see the transport. I’ll bring him back once things have… finished.”

Eggsy grinned. “See ya in a bit then.”

He walked to the taxi and took it to Imperial Intelligence. He got through the first couple of scanners and started toward the receptionist. The receptionist looked up at him before Eggsy was even halfway to him. Eggsy saw him start talking; he assumed the receptionist was recording his description.

“Is there something you need?”

“Yeah,” Eggsy nodded. “I’ve got an appointment with the Minister of Intelligence. Name’s Asherod Gardhul of House Qel-Nosh.”

The receptionist looked at his terminal and saw the entry. “Reason for meeting?”

Eggsy faltered. Clearly Merlin hadn’t expected that. “Well… that’s sorta between me and the Minister.”

The receptionist eyed him suspiciously. “House Qel-Nosh…” he said thoughtfully. “Wasn’t that one of the Houses the killiks swarmed?”

“Well… yeah. Doesn’t mean we were all taken out.”

The receptionist sighed heavily. “I _still_ need something to put in the records.”

“I’m… I’m here to discuss my House joining the Empire.” He paused. “We thought… going through Intelligence might be best. Then no one’ll realize it.”

The receptionist typed away and nodded to a guard. The guard came over and escorted Eggsy to the Minister’s office. He pressed the door chime and announced ‘Asherod Gardhul’. 

He was let inside and locked the door once it was shut. The clone had already been thawed out and it was surreal to see Merlin, unconscious on the floor, and Merlin, standing behind a desk. Without a word, Merlin got out the blaster, the thermal detonator, and a case of cybernetic parts.

Eggsy knelt down by the clone and eyed Merlin for a moment. Out of the carbonite, the clone looked exactly like Merlin. He wondered how that had been pulled off, but didn’t bother asking; there would be a better time for it. For now though… he reached out to the clone and pulled one of his eyelids back.

“Fuck me,” Eggsy whispered softly.

“In due time,” Merlin said, and then he glanced at what Eggsy was doing. “Well, now you know the answer people have been trying to discover for years.”

“Your eyes… they actually like this…?”

“Yeah mean are the irises white like that? Yes.” He shrugged. “I was born with a degenerative ocular condition. I wasn’t born within the Empire’s borders; yeh might have noticed the accent, as much as I try to hide it.”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah, especially when you’re riled up.”

“Well, in the Empire, they screen for this condition. It would have been... seen to... well before I was born. I was blind by the time I was eight.” He tapped the cybernetic glasses. “Then I got my first set of these.”

“Nothin’ they can do, huh?”

Merlin shook his head. “If it could be corrected, that clone would have functional eyes.” He paused. “That isn’t the first set of my own eyes I’ve cloned. All of them have deteriorated the same way.”

“So… question… there’s only gonna be _your_ DNA in here…”

“This…” he held out the thermal detonator, “will take care of that suspicion.”

Eggsy nodded. “Let’s do it then.”

Merlin set the detonator. They turned on the personal cloaking devices and left the building. Once outside, Merlin led him to the ship. Eggsy breathed a sigh of relief once they were away.


	31. Chapter 31

Eggsy returned to Harry’s stronghold. He could sense several others inside and went to the lounge. He stayed in the doorway for a moment, uncertain what the protocol here was. Roxy was there, her Master still absent, but Darth Basileus was _also_ there. With Charlie. There were a couple other Darths and apprentices, although he didn’t recognize them.

He went to stand at his Master’s side. Basileus glowered at him; he returned the look. He said nothing, merely listening as his Master and the other Darths as they talked. He barely listened, instead focusing on the storm within, and the eye therein. He had no idea that, years ago, his father had done a similar thing just before his death.

The conversation was sharply cut off when all the terminals in the room suddenly lit up with Merlin and ‘Asherod’s’ face. They could just see the thermal detonator in ‘Asherod’s’ hand and Merlin’s hands were up, letting the viewers know that he was at blaster point.

“I am Asherod Gardhul of House Qel-Nosh. I would rather be blown to bits than see Alderaan in the hands of the Empire!” He pushed the button on top of the explosive. “I do this for an Empire-Free Alderaan!”

The video cut out, and it was only a moment later when they heard the explosion. The Darths went to the window and looked out. Smoke was rising from Imperial Intelligence. After a moment, Basileus looked at Harry.

“I suppose… you may have been right about my stronghold.” He snapped his fingers and turned to leave. “Apprentice.”

Charlie smirked and followed his Master. “To Alderaan, Master?”

“Do _not_ ask me things to which you know the answer, Chohwa.”

Charlie’s face flushed nearly violet. He said nothing else as he followed his Master out.

Eggsy looked at Roxy and rose his brow.

“His real name,” she said quietly. “He hates it; it’s a common name, one easily said by aliens.”

“And sounds stupid as fuck.”

“Yeah, that, too.”

They waited until the other Darths and apprentices left. Roxy looked at Harry, and Eggsy realized that Roxy was struggling to keep from showing any reaction. Eggsy looked to Harry; he didn’t know _why_ Roxy had been left out of the loop.

“Custos is quite safe. He’s with your Master,” Harry said without turning from the window. “The Minister, however, undoubtedly perished in the explosion. A shame, really. A man of his career, so close to retirement.”

Anger flared within her. She all but snarled at Harry.

“Calm yourself, apprentice,” Harry drawled. “Your Master felt it best to tell you nothing of our scheme. Just in case.”

“Just in-” She sighed irritably and crossed her arms. “I have as much at stake in this as _you_ do.”

“Yes, but _I_ am not your father; your Master _is_.” Harry started toward them. “I may outrank him, but in this, I agreed to his wishes.”

She grumbled irritably. “The next time I kill someone, know that the anger I’m feeling right now is going to fuel it.”

“I’m honored,” Harry said with a quiet laugh.

By the time Adcuratus and Merlin returned, Roxy had calmed down. The three of them already had drinks, with ones waiting for Adcuratus and Merlin. By the third round (although Eggsy had swapped to something non-alcoholic after the first one), the sith were pleasantly buzzed.

“Eggsy, I hope you understand that this… won’t be official for about a month,” Harry said with a slight grin. “I feel it would be a little too suspicious if it were any closer to the two attacks.”

Eggsy nodded. “Alright… So this… thing… stays a secret until then. What is it? Gonna openly take Custos as an apprentice?”

Harry laughed and shook his head. “Oh, no. No, that… would bring up too many questions.” He paused and grinned at Eggsy. “Given your training, your diligence… your _loyalty_, I feel you’ve earned the right to be called Lord.”

Eggsy grinned. “Really? So… what’s my name, then?”

Harry and Merlin exchanged a glance and a grin before Harry answered. “Protervitas.”

Eggsy’s grin widened. “Lord Protervitas. I like it.” He paused. “So… what’s it mean?”

“Impudence, boldness, flippancy.” Roxy started giggling. “Fits you perfectly.”

Eggsy made a local rude gesture and Roxy nodded.

“Like I said, it fits you.”

“Ain’t upset? That I got my rank before you?”

She shook her head. “I’ve _hardly_ blown up a stronghold _and_ an office in Imperial Intelligence. You have certainly earned it.” She paused, a wicked grin crossing her face. “But. I want to be there the first time Charlie hears it. He _still_ hasn’t earned his rank.”

Eggsy grinned. “It’ll be a date. We’ll even holorecord it.”


	32. Chapter 32

That night, Eggsy lay awake in his bed, unable to sleep. JB was on his back, paws twitching in the air and pointed tongue lolling out of his mouth. The tuk’ata was unmindful of his master’s giddy excitement, or of how his lips kept forming the words ‘Lord Protervitas’.

A year and two months ago, he’d been a slave facing death; now he was a stars-damned Lord of the Sith. He wasn’t the only one to rise to Lord that quickly; there _were_ those who’d done it faster. He’d looked up Nox’s records. She had gone from slave to Lord in just a year; she’d been made a Darth two years after that. He didn’t… see himself rising _quite_ that fast, especially since that would probably mean killing Harry. But knowing he was as valuable to his Master as she had been to hers only added to his giddy excitement.

He’d been laying there for the better part of an hour when he decided sleep wasn’t happening. As he went to dress, his eyes fell on the leggings. He pulled them on and one of the skirts Harry had gotten him. It was black, velvet, and had gold runes embroidered along the hems. He went to their bedroom and pressed the chime.

It was only a moment before Harry answered. He was utterly, gloriously naked. Eggsy’s eyes darted to the man’s cock; it was half-way erect. He looked beyond him and found Merlin lounging on the bed. Eggsy grinned; at least they hadn’t been asleep.

“Yes, _apprentice_?”

“So… can’t sleep.”

Harry sighed softly, irritably. “_And_?”

“And… I never _did_ get the chance to show off the leggings to you. Thought I might.” He paused. “Unless you’re not interested…”

Harry’s entire posture changed at the offer. He no longer seemed to be a man who’d been interrupted at the beginning of sex; he seemed more like a predator who’d spotted prey. His hand shot out and wrapped around Eggsy’s throat. He squeezed enough to force Eggsy’s head back.

“I hope you understand that we will _not_ hold back simply because you’ve come to us _both _at once.”

Eggsy shivered. “Yes, Harry,” he said breathlessly.

“You understand that we will fuck you, hurt you, use you for _our_ pleasure, and leave you unfulfilled and _begging_ if we so desire?”

Eggsy closed his eyes and a needy moan escaped him. “_Stars, yes_,” he whimpered.

“If you find you cannot take the pain we give you, we will listen. But,” he paused and stroked Eggsy’s cheek with his free hand, “we will also be very pleased with you if you take everything.”

He felt heat spreading in his belly. He knew it meant they were going to push him past where they’d taken him in the past. But… he wanted to _try_ and take it. He _yearned_ for the praise he knew would come.

Harry released him and stepped back so he could come into the room. Merlin was now sitting up and eyeing Eggsy with a wicked little grin. Eggsy shivered, wondering how often Merlin had looked that way at a prisoner he was interrogating.

He reached down to unclasp the skirt and then paused. “Harry…? Do you want the first look to yourself?”

Harry laughed softly. “Yes, that _would_ please me.”

Eggsy turned toward him and opened the skirt. He heard Harry let out almost a throaty growl at the sight; at the sheer material hugging his legs; at the fact that he was exposed, the panties left behind.

Harry went to him and grabbed onto his cock. He squeezed, hard enough to bring a soft cry to Eggsy’s lips, and stroked him. “I think, perhaps, I’ll get you more of those. At least a set in gold,” he grabbed Eggsy’s chin and tilted his head back, “to match your eyes.” He laughed softly, darkly. “Perhaps we’ll even make it a rule that in my other strongholds you may _only_ wear your leggings, my lovely toy.”

Eggsy made a soft sound. “If it’s what you want…” He knew it would mean he’d be fucked often, used as Harry and Merlin saw fit, and that his home life wouldn’t be unlike his life as a sex slave. But… he _wanted_ to be their toy. He wanted the pleasure and praise that came with it. He wanted the gentle touching and how they held him after, how they treated him like something so precious. And, stars above, he wanted to be fucked and hurt by them. He loved _that_ as much as the gentle touches.

Harry’s hand slipped back to Eggsy’s hair, and he pulled the young man’s head back. He bit the base of his throat, hard enough to make Eggsy cry out in pain; hard enough to feel the skin threaten to give beneath his teeth.

“Show Merlin,” he whispered against Eggsy’s neck.

Eggsy waited until Harry straightened up and turned to Merlin. He held the skirt for a moment longer before letting it drop. Merlin got up and walked over to him. Harry brought an arm around Eggsy and wrapped his hand around his throat.

“If I had seen that before,” he growled, “I would have fucked you then and there.” He trailed his fingers along Eggsy’s chest; he pinched a nipple and rolled it, roughly enough to make the young man arch back against Harry. “How dare you keep this sight from us for so long.”

Harry squeezed the boy’s throat. “I think he deserves to be punished for his.” He smiled coldly at the shudder that elicited from Eggsy. “Don’t you, Merlin?”

“Tell me, Eggsy: how did that… _man_… punish you?” He saw the instant fear in his toy’s eyes. “No,” he said, almost gently. “Not so I can do that to you; so I can do something _else_. Something with no connection to him.”

Eggsy sighed with relief and leaned back against Harry. “Whippings, usually a strap or his belt. The slave collar.”

Merlin nodded. “He never… spanked you?”

Eggsy shook his head.

“Go and lay over the bed, arms stretched out over your head.”

Eggsy went and did as he commanded. The bed was high enough that his knees didn’t touch the floor. It left him feeling unsteady, unbalanced. He shivered as he heard Merlin approach him. He felt his stomach drop and already felt like crying. Harry was his Master; Harry had every right to punish him; he’d disappointed his Master into wanting to correct him. He already felt _guilty_ about it, because he wanted his Master to be _pleased_ with him.

Without any warning, Merlin struck him with something thin and with a lot of weight to it. Eggsy whimpered, his arse stinging from it.

“I’m going to hit you with this, repeatedly, until I am satisfied you’ve learned your lesson. You may scream, you may cry, you may beg me for mercy. Know that you will receive _none_.”

It rose in him to protest, to tell Merlin he _had_ learned his lesson, that Harry’s displeasure with him was _more_ than enough. But he kept quiet and just nodded.

“Good boy,” Merlin said softly. “Now keep being _good_ for me.”

He struck Eggsy’s arse, again and again, and never in the same place twice in a row. Even a punished toy should not be broken, after all. He went until Eggsy’s arse was deep red and he could hear the young man crying.

But he hadn’t screamed, and Merlin was _going_ to make him scream.

Merlin touched his arse; it was so nicely warm to the touch. He pressed his hand against it. “How much does that hurt?”

“It’s bearable,” Eggsy said softly.

“Not enough, then.”

He started again. He went until he could see the bruises forming, until Eggsy had started screaming, until he could see his toy tensing up between each strike, until the first whimpered ‘please’ escaped him. Merlin smiled coldly at the whimper. Smiled, and then hit him, hard, five more times.

And then he sat on the bed beside him. “Come here, my toy,” he said gently. “Come and be in my arms.”

Eggsy pushed himself up on trembling arms. Merlin could see where the blanket was damp from his tears. It made him want to push his lovely toy back down and fuck him. But… Eggsy needed to be reminded that he was their _precious_ toy.

He held Eggsy, stroking his back and whispering to him that he was a _good boy_, that he was _pleased_, how _well_ he’d taken his punishment, and how much he _hoped_ this would be a one-time thing. So what if the last one was a lie? There was no reason to make their darling toy fear every action he took.

Eggsy could feel Merlin manipulating the Force within him, warming him, soothing him. He cried against his chest, trying to keep his weight off of his arse. He didn’t think he’d be sitting for a week, and sex with them would hurt every time they touched his arse. But that pain would be _good_, because it would remind him that he was cared for, that he was theirs.

Merlin waited until he calmed down and then made Eggsy look up at him. His eyes were red and puffy; his skin was pale and damp from his tears. Merlin could still see the pain in his golden eyes. _Fuck_, he was beautiful. 

“Now, my darling toy, which of us would you like in your arse and which would you like in your mouth? Your choice for being so very good for me.”

Eggsy didn’t answer right away, and after a moment, he felt Harry grab him by the hair. His head was roughly yanked back. He could see the annoyance in Harry’s eyes.

“What… have I told you about hesitance in my bed?”

“It ain’t hesitance,” he said softly. “It’s indecision. I… kinda want both…”

Harry smiled softly and let go of Eggsy’s hair. “I see.” He paused thoughtfully. “Will you settle for three of four?”

“Of course.”

Harry and Merlin exchanged a look and then Harry sat on the bed, up against the headboard. Merlin helped Eggsy to his feet and then nodded toward Harry.

“And leave these on,” he said, stroking the material.

Eggsy got on the bed and crawled toward Harry. The sith’s cock was rock hard; Merlin had not been the _only_ one to enjoy their toy’s punishment. Eggsy leaned down, almost prostrating himself before his Master, and licked up the shaft of Harry’s cock. He started to take him into his mouth, paused, and then sat up a little.

“May I use my hand as well?”

Harry stroked his cheek; it was a gentle caress. “Yes, you may do that.”

Eggsy smiled at him and bent down again. He wrapped his hand around the base of Harry’s cock and took the rest of him into his mouth with a moan. He loved the taste of Harry, of the feel of his skin against his tongue. He even, despite the request to use his hand, loved deep-throating him; being fully filled by his cock, unable to breathe and only able to swallow against Harry until his Master came or allowed him a breath. 

He felt Harry’s hand in his hair and dropped his hand away. But his Master did not force him down further, nor did the hand tighten in his hair and pull. It was a few moments before Eggsy realized Harry was _stroking_ his hair, almost gently petting him.

He shivered and took Harry down to the root. He swallowed against him and then sucked hard as he pulled up off of him. He suckled gently on the head for a moment before taking him into his mouth again. Harry was being so gentle with him, so giving. How could he not do what he knew Harry liked best?

It was only a moment before he felt Merlin’s hand on his arse; he made a weak sound from the pain. And then he felt Merlin’s finger entering him. It was followed rather quickly by a second as Merlin stretched his toy’s arsehole and worked lube inside of him. Once he felt Eggsy was ready, he withdrew his fingers and slowly, gently, pressed his cock inside of him.

He felt Eggsy tremble, a soft and needy sound escaping him. Merlin and Harry exchanged a look and a smirk, and then Merlin started thrusting. He kept up a slow, gentle pace, always stopping _just_ short of contact with Eggsy’s beaten arse.

It wasn’t long before the sharp contrast from brutal pain to such gentle fucking became overwhelming. Harry felt the first tears on his thighs and tipped his head back, biting down on a moan that wanted to escape. He took a breath and gently guided Eggsy’s head up.

“Are you alright? Do you want us to stop?”

Merlin kept up his slow, gentle fucking even as Harry offered that. He knew Eggsy wouldn’t ask for that; they knew exactly what they were doing to him.

Eggsy shook his head. “No.”

“Then what is it?” Tender, gentle, caring. It wasn’t that Harry _didn’t_ care about him, both as apprentice and toy, but there was an _art_ to this sort of manipulation.

“I dunno. I just… it’s so nice.”

Harry pet his head. “We could hardly be rough with you after your punishment. We don’t want you associating it with this, now do we?”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, course not.” Eggsy smiled, even with the tears still on his face, and bent back down to Harry’s cock. 

Harry kept petting Eggsy’s hair until his breathing started to grow ragged and he started involuntarily bucking his hips up at the wonderfully talented mouth. He wanted to just push his toy’s head down, force him to take all of his cock until he came… but this was about being _gentle_ to him.

He was a little surprised when Eggsy reached up and covered his hand, and then pushed a little. This time, Harry didn’t bite back the throaty moan at his toy’s actions. He waited until Eggsy lowered his hand, and then pushed his head down, holding him in place. He felt his toy swallowing hard against him, hands gripping onto the blankets. Harry held him in place, holding himself back and depriving Eggsy of air until he knew the human’s lungs would be burning. Only then did he let himself cum. He forced himself to keep from pulling Eggsy’s hair as he did and once he finished, he let go of Eggsy’s head.

Eggsy lapped at him, even as Harry’s cock wilted in his mouth, cleaning off any cum he hadn’t already swallowed down. He looked up at Harry for a moment and then lay his head in the sith’s lap. He felt so nice, so floaty, as what was surely the gentlest orgasm of his life built. His cries were soft things and it wasn’t much longer before his hand gripped Harry’s thigh.

“Harry…” he whimpered softly. Harry had told him they’d leave him unfulfilled if they pleased; he didn’t know if it was what they wanted still.

Harry smiled slowly. Oh, but this boy was so nicely trained, so willing to give them what they wanted, even at the expense of his own pleasure. “It’s alright, Eggsy. You may cum.”

“Thank you, my Master.”

He closed his eyes and cried out softly as his orgasm broke through him. He shuddered as it rode over him. He was so fucking floaty and drifty that Merlin had to hold his arse up. Eggsy was vaguely aware that Merlin was still fucking him; he was vaguely aware of it when Merlin came and withdrew from him.

Merlin set him down on the bed, avoiding the now-cold puddle of cum. He went to clean himself up, and then cleaned Eggsy and the puddle before settling in beside him. Eggsy was pliable, limp. His eyes were half-lidded and they had a glazed look to them; a small smile was on his lips. Merlin had a feeling Eggsy’s mind was far away, maybe orbiting Kessel.

Harry worked his way out from under Eggsy and lay beside him. He and Merlin exchanged a pleased glance before Harry settled against Eggsy. Harry lay his hand possessively over Eggsy’s wrist; Merlin lay his own hand on Eggsy’s neck. They knew he was utterly _theirs_; body, mind, and soul.


	33. Chapter 33

The Festival of Stars; a fete week occurring between the ninth and tenth months of the year. It was a celebration of interstellar travel, and a time when many people took vacations to other worlds. Many people… including Darth Basileus.

Harry knew this, and knew where his vacation home was. It was in a remote part of Korriban, one far away from the Academy and decently removed from the locals. It had been the ancestral home of Basileus’ line, from before the resettlement on Ziost if one believed his claims. It was his line’s ceremonial tomb; a place where he could look at his family history.

It was, Harry felt, the perfect place to kill him.

Harry knew the security systems. He knew the response times of the local authorities, not that he expected Basileus would call for help; with a simple bribe here and there, he made certain they would remain undisturbed even if he did.

He was unsurprised when the door opened at their approach. Basileus would have sensed their arrival. Eggsy was at his side; as were Tilde, Roxy, and Adcuratus. Merlin was with them, as well, but his presence was hidden beneath the cloaking device he’d based on the one Basileus’ assassin had worn so many years ago.

They entered the tomb-_cum_-stronghold and found Basileus easily. He was waiting in what looked like a meditation chamber. His cloak was off and his lightsaber was out, its blade glowing Imperial crimson.

“Of course you would need a small army to fight me, Vindicta.”

Harry laughed coldly. “They’re hardly here to fight you. I plan on defeating you myself.”

They spread out around Harry in a semicircle; Eggsy and Tilde to his left, Roxy and Adcuratus to his right. Only Harry had his lightsaber out, although it wasn’t yet lit. 

“I simply thought you might like to know a few things before you died.”

“Such as?”

“Such as _how_ my apprentice destroyed your stronghold.” Harry nodded toward Roxy and Adcuratus. “They supplied the explosives. One of his… associates… is a master of them.”

“Bors,” Basileus snarled.

“Exactly.”

“I suppose Cupio employed a slicer who has since perished.”

Harry laughed. “Oh, not at all. Our slicer is still… perfectly alive. _He_ preprogrammed the data spike so that it would disable your security and still send out a looped signal showing that everything was fine.”

Basileus frowned. “To program it ahead of time would have taken knowledge of my systems that only few possess.”

Harry nodded. “Indeed.” He motioned to his left. “Allow me to present my _other_ apprentice, one I took shortly after you had Lee murdered. Lord Custos.”

Merlin disabled the cloaking device. His hood was off; he nodded to Basileus. “Darth Basileus.”

Basileus’ face flushed with rage as he realized the attack on Dromund Kaas had been faked, and a diversion. He threw his lightsaber. It flew toward Merlin, spinning end over end horizontally. Merlin didn’t flinch; Harry’s own lightsaber - the blade red striated with black - came up and deflected it.

Basileus summoned his lightsaber to himself and the two sith leapt to each other. They were a blur of red and black, neither really gaining or losing ground. Basileus leapt backward and pushed Harry away with a blast from the Force.

Eggsy’s hand fell to his lightsaber, and Merlin’s hand covered his. A single shake of his head and Eggsy, grudgingly, let go of it. There was no rule that said a battle between a Master and their former apprentice _must_ just be them. It was a common thing for the former apprentice to bring an ally, or an apprentice of their own. But they knew what Harry wanted.

Basileus leapt toward Harry, his lightsaber poised to come down on him, hard. Harry’s hand came up and Basileus was suspended in mid-air. Harry’s eyes were cold as his old Master struggled for breath. Harry stood, breathing deeply, calmly. He threw Basileus aside.

“I sense the Light Side within you,” Basileus choked. “I sense the weakness.”

Harry summoned both his lightsaber and Basileus’ to himself. “And yet _I_ am the one standing, and with both weapons.”

“Do you expect me to yield?”

Harry shook his head. “No, Darth Basileus, I expect you to die.”

Eggsy stepped forward, his hand coming up. Black and purple smoke rose around Basileus; it broke into black swirls of energy that flowed toward Eggsy. He’d gotten much more proficient at draining his victims, and the black energy just kept coming. His eyes glowed bright purple as he absorbed Basileus’ essence, a dark smile on his face.

Basileus’ skin paled, and then wrinkled with age. Eggsy still had no idea how old Basileus was and the old fuck had a _lot _of vitality in him still. It made him wonder, exactly, how long purebloods lived. He wondered even as Basileus’ face became gaunt and skull-like.

He was panting by the time Basileus was completely drained. Not from exertion, but from the _feeling_ of taking _that much_ of someone’s life into him when he wasn’t hurt in the least. He let his head tip back with a sigh of pleasure and he laughed softly; it sounded almost manic.

“Eggsy?”

Harry’s voice, worried. Eggsy laughed again and looked at him. His eyes were still purple; even the sclera were glowing a paler shade of purple. His eyes were wide and manic-looking.

“‘m _fine_, ‘ar-” He held up a finger. “Vindicta. Soz.”

Harry and Merlin exchanged a worried glance. Torturing him during sex was _one_ thing; driving him to utter madness was another. For all the pain they visited on him, for all the subtle - and not so subtle - ways they had of manipulating him, they _did_ care about him.

Merlin put a hand on Eggsy’s arm. Eggsy looked over at him, and then stepped toward him. He put a hand on Merlin’s chest and then trailed his fingers down and fondled Merlin through his robes with a needy sigh. He leaned against him, his head on Merlin’s chest.

“Let’s go ‘ave us a shag, yeah?”

Merlin looked at Harry. His implants were scanning and processing the sounds of Eggsy’s voice, bringing up readouts of tone and inflection, the thickening of his accent, and how slurred his speech sounded. He barely gave them a look.

“He’s _drunk_.”

“‘m not.” He pushed up and away from Merlin. “Fuckin’ _'igh_ is what I am.” He giggled. “Holy _fuck_. Feel like I ate a bantha made-a spice”

Harry went to him, curled a hand under his chin, and made him look up at him. “You probably should have used the other method.”

Eggsy grinned. “Yeah, prob’ly. But I didn’t think the fucker had _that_ much left in ‘im. How fuckin’ long you people live?”

Harry laughed softly. “At one point, we had twice the human lifespan. We had, after all, evolved on a world where a year is over two standard years, and we aged accordingly. Of course, then we interbred with our human slaves. Our blood has thinned and our lifespans shortened.” He paused. “But we are still longer-lived than humans.”

“Wait-wait-wait-_waaaaaait._” Eggsy, swaying slightly, held up a finger. “So you’re tellin’ me… that purebloods _ain’t_ pure? That you’re all part human?”

Harry grimaced and sighed irritably. “Yes, Eggsy, that is exactly what I just said.”

Eggsy started giggling, and then laughing. He swayed and then staggered; Merlin’s arm shot out to catch him. Harry looked _extremely_ put out.

“Perhaps you should have let him fall.”

“He’s never been drunk before,” Roxy said with a laugh. She went over to Eggsy and put an arm around him. “Give me a hand with him, Tilde.” She waited until the other woman had joined her. “He probably won’t remember any of this later.”

“The _fuck_ I won’t!”

“Come on, lightweight,” she teased. “Let’s get you onto the transport and back to the ship.”


	34. Chapter 34

By the time they were back on Vindicta’s ship, the glow in Eggsy’s eyes had mostly subsided. His eyes were still purple, but they were no longer glowing and the very edge of his irises had turned back to gold. He was laying on one of the sofas in the ship’s lounge, his head in Roxy’s lap. Tilde was curled up on the other side of her, idly playing with his hair.

The other three were scattered about the lounge. Merlin was on the other sofa, his eyes on Eggsy; Harry was making drinks; Adcuratus was leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. Harry brought them all their drinks before taking a seat beside Merlin. All of them… except Eggsy. Harry felt he’d had _quite_ enough.

They talked for nearly an hour; about the battle; about the vacancy this would leave on the Council; about how they would finally have a Revanite on it, although no one used the word. It wasn’t what Harry had set out for, but he _was_ the one to have defeated Basileus in battle, even _if_ Eggsy had been the one to kill him.

Once talk turned to other things, Roxy nudged Tilde, who rose and walked toward the ship’s bedrooms. Adcuratus rolled his eyes and shook his head; he thought it might be a good time to go and meditate, perhaps in the engine room. Roxy grinned at his reaction and worked her way out from under Eggsy. She started to follow Tilde, paused, and then grabbed Eggsy by the hair and pulled before following Tilde. Eggsy looked to Harry, who nodded, and then he followed the women.

Tilde had already opened her robes; she was bare beneath. She knew, from experience, that the sith enjoyed a good post-battle fucking. She’d come prepared for it. What she _hadn’t_ been prepared for was Eggsy following Roxy into the room. She gave Roxy a curious look, and the sith shrugged.

“He looks like he’d be fun to play with. Besides, given how he acted with Custos, I think we both know he wants it.” She started untying her robe. “You can handle two women, right?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good,” she purred.

She went over to Tilde, shrugging the open robe off as she went. She wrapped her hand around the human’s throat and guided her back against the wall. She trailed her fingers along one of Tilde’s breasts, to her nipple, and rolled it roughly between her fingers. Tilde pressed back against the wall with a needy whimper, and went up on her toes. Roxy tightened her grip on Tilde’s throat and held her there, primarily with the Force and not just her own strength.

“Come over here,” Roxy said, pointing at the floor in front of Tilde. “Show me what you can do to her with just your mouth and your hands.”

Eggsy went over to them and knelt in front of Tilde. 

“Open up for him, dearest,” she purred. “Spread those lovely legs of yours.”

Tilde reached up to hold onto Roxy’s wrist and Roxy slapped her hand.

“No, no. You’re going to _need_ your hands,” she laughed.

Tilde braced her hands and her feet against the wall, trying to open her legs without being choked. Roxy twisted one of her nipples again, shocking her this time as well. She yelped, her feet slipping, and she let out a choked moan as she parted her legs. Eggsy came forward and licked up her already wet cunt. 

“Hook your legs over his shoulders, my dear. That’s a girl. See? I wouldn’t leave you unable to breathe for long.”

Eggsy swirled his tongue around her clit as he slid two fingers into her cunt. He felt her squeeze around them and he started slowly fucking her as he licked her clit, her cunt lips, her juices as they flowed out between thrusts. He heard a simple ‘three’ from Roxy and slipped a third finger inside of her. Her legs wrapped around his head, pulling him tighter against her.

“Pinch your nipples… Harder… I said _harder_.” She paused. “Tilde, if I have to do this _for_ you, I’m _going _to use my teeth.”

Eggsy heard Tilde’s whimpered moan as she bucked against him. She let out a cry that was as much a moan of pleasure as a scream of pain. Eggsy felt her shuddering against him, and he had a feeling Roxy had made good on her threat to bite Tilde’s nipple.

“Roxy,” she whimpered.

“I _told_ you to go harder, and you didn’t _listen_.”

“It’s as… hard as I can.”

“Pity,” she said coldly.

Tilde cried out again in mixed pain and pleasure. Eggsy could feel her trying to move with his hand and hear her breathing. The more Roxy hurt her, the closer she got. Just when Tilde was on the cusp of cuming, Roxy threw Eggsy back. Tilde let out a strangled cry, her hands going to Roxy’s wrist without thought as she discovered Roxy had slid her up the wall just enough that she could no longer reach the floor. 

Roxy watched her for a moment, enjoying her flushed face and how that flush deepened from needing air. She let go of her, dropping Tilde and watching her go to her knees. Roxy sauntered over to Eggsy.

“Stand up and take that skirt off.”

He stood and unclasped his skirt, letting it fall. He was bare beneath and rock hard. Roxy looked him over consideringly and then looked over at Tilde.

“Your refractory period is, what… half-hour?”

Eggsy shook his head. “My what now?”

She offered him an amused smile. “How long do you have to wait between fucking?”

“Oh!” He shrugged. “Yeah, half-hour sounds about right. Never really… timed it.”

“Which means…” she said, putting a hand on his chest and letting her fingers trail along him as she started to circle him, “...either _she_ gets fucked or _I_ do.”

“You don’t even like dick,” Tilde pouted at her.

“I don’t prefer it, but I’ll take it.” She smirked at Tilde. “Especially if it means I leave you wanting.”

Tilde crawled over to them, her movements slow and deliberate. She kissed Roxy’s ankle and up her calf and thigh. “Or… I could eat your pussy while he fucks me.”

“Or… I could tie you up and make you watch while _he _eats my pussy.”

Tilde whined with need. “But I know just how you like it.”

“Hmm..” Roxy made a show of thinking about it as she walked to the bed. She lay back, spreading her legs and pulling them up. “Then get over here and he’ll fuck you.”

She got on the bed; her face between Roxy’s legs and her arse in the air. Eggsy knelt behind her and slipped into her wet and waiting cunt. He squeezed her arse as he thrust into her, missing the pain he’d become so accustomed to with sex.

“And Eggsy…” Roxy said after a few minutes. “You know what Tilde sounds like when she’s about to cum. Make sure she doesn’t.”

“What?” Tilde pushed up from Roxy, only for the sith to Force-push her back down.

“My bed, my rules. _You_ need permission first.” She pet Tilde’s hair. “Now, get back to eating. If you do a good job, I may just tell him you’re allowed.”

Eggsy did as she said. Every time he knew Tilde was close, he slowed his pace until she’d fallen back from it. It was _maddening_, because it meant that _he_ fell back from his own orgasm. It built, slowly, and when he was certain he could finish without finishing her off, he sped up. He heard her cries rising in pitch as he fucked her, and then he cried out, stiffening against her as he came. She whimpered as he pulled out of her. Whimpered, but kept going on the sith. 

Eggsy listened to the sith’s moans of pleasure and watched as she ground her cunt against Tilde’s face and hand. Her face was flushed nearly purple and she wrapped her legs around Tilde, pulling her hard against her cunt.

“What do you think?” she breathed. “Has she been good enough?”

“Dunno,” Eggsy shrugged. “I ain’t the one she’s goin’ down on.”

“True eno-” The rest of the word was lost in a high pitched moan. “You have until I cum, which-” She cried out. “-doesn’t give you much time.”

He slipped his fingers inside of her, slicking them with his cum and her wetness. He pulled out of her and slid his fingers up the folds of her labia to her clit. He rubbed and circled her clit, setting a deliberately slow pace even as she worked herself against him. It wasn’t long at all before he saw Roxy shuddering against Tilde, and he stopped.

“Nooo,” Tilde whined. “Fucking shit, Roxy. I’m so stars-damned close. Please? I was good.”

She laughed coldly. “I said he had until I got off.” She pushed Tilde up. “Now, I want a nap. Both of you out… and no getting off, Tilde. You aren’t allowed until we reach Dromund Kaas.”

Eggsy got up and pulled his skirt around himself. Tilde started tying her robe and then slapped him on the shoulder.

“You _fuck_.”

He grinned at her. “What?” he asked with feigned innocence. 

“You did that on purpose.”

“Yes, I did.”

She stepped to him and bit his lip. “You just remember that the next time _we’re_ fucking. I’ll leave _you_ begging for it.”

Eggsy winked at her and left the bedroom.


	35. Chapter 35

Before they arrived on Dromund Kaas, Harry sent a message ahead, requesting an audience with the Dark Council. He received a reply several hours later that his request had been approved. Eggsy and Merlin accompanied him, although Merlin kept his face covered. It would be his first time appearing on Dromund Kaas as a Sith, without shielding himself from being sensed, and at his Master’s side.

They entered the Dark Council chamber; Eggsy and Merlin stayed near the entrance. Eggsy, living up to his Sith name, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He made eye contact with Nox and mouthed the word ‘one’. She nodded once.

Harry walked to the center of the room, and eyed the Dark Lords on their thrones. His eyes stopped on the Darth in the red and black armor. He took Basileus’ lightsaber off of his belt and tossed it to him.

The Darth caught it, grumbled, and then spoke. “What is this, Darth Vindicta?”

“I would think it obvious, Darth Marr,” Harry said with a smirk. “It is Darth Basileus’ lightsaber. Would you have preferred I brought you his head?”

“No,” he snapped. “This is a sufficient enough message that you have killed him.”

“He just wants Basileus’ place on the Council,” Zhorrid whined.

“It was his _right_ to challenge his Master,” Marr said darkly. “Just as it was _your_ right to take your father’s place when he was no longer fit to be on this Council.”

She sulked, crossing her arms. She felt they didn’t respect her and that she deserved their respect. She had been her father’s only apprentice. Just because _daddy _thought he was going to live forever and someday rule the Council didn’t mean that _she _wasn’t worthy. They were just _against_ her.

“It does leave a power vacuum, however,” Darth Ravage said. 

“Indeed,” Marr grumbled. They were nearly_ half_ of a Council at this point. They’d suffered too many losses from revenge, plots, or plain stupidity. He didn’t want to admit it, but they really _couldn’t_ refuse Vindicta if he made his claim for his old Master’s place.

“That _is_ rather unfortunate, isn’t it?” Harry drawled. “And with the war…” He laughed darkly. “Victory _may_ have been decided, but the war isn’t over. Can we afford to look so badly weakened?”

Marr stared at him for a few moments; Harry stared right back. When Marr was satisfied with whatever he was looking for, he looked at each member of the Council in turn. Five of them nodded; Zhorrid, still sulking, shook her head once.

“I will consider that unanimous,” Marr growled at her. He motioned the the throne that had been Basileus’. “Darth Vindicta, take your place.”

“I suppose you want us to confer the title of Darth on your apprentice now,” Zhorrid snapped.

“Lord Protervitas has not yet _earned_ that, Darth Zhorrid,” Harry said as he ascended the dais, his tone overly patient. “I would not see a Sith granted power of which they were undeserving.”

She fumed. She just _knew _that was a slap at her.

Harry took his place on the throne, on _his_ throne. He was only one of eight, but there were Revanites everywhere now. There was _going_ to be a change within the Empire, whether the Empire wanted it or not. Harry knew only time would tell if the change would remain or not. What he _did_ know was that if the Empire didn’t change, it _would_ fall in time.

He looked over at Eggsy and Merlin, and he nodded once. Eggsy bowed deeply, while Merlin only bowed as much as protocol demanded and not what would be expected of an apprentice. They turned and exited the Council chamber, leaving Harry to his new duties.


	36. Chapter 36

Harry spent the better part of the next two months settling in and dealing with Council matters. It wasn’t all _work_; a lot of it was meetings, or parties (that he couldn’t simply excuse himself from), or dealing with the military. 

Then came the first day he was able to come home early; the first day where the change in power had stopped causing ripples. Eggsy had been training with Merlin at the time; working on his lightsaber technique because of how often he used lightning instead. 

They both sensed Harry’s arrival, but Merlin was the one in a position to see him enter the training room. He signaled Eggsy to stop; both men switched their lightsabers off and Eggsy turned to bow politely to his Master. His Master… who had a hand behind his back.

“Eggsy, do you know what today is?”

“Yeah, ‘s Primeday.”

Harry smiled a little. “Beyond that.”

Eggsy shook his head. “The sixth…?”

“A bit more… special… than that.”

Eggsy thought for a moment. Holidays and fete weeks all existed outside of normal months. After a moment, he shook his head. “There’s… there’s only one thing I can think of, and…” He shrugged. “I don’t think it’s nothin’ you’d care about.”

Harry’s brow rose. “No? And what is it that happened on this day, which you find memorable, that I would not?”

Eggsy shrugged again and looked down. It made him feel kinda stupid and shy, cos this… this wasn’t nothin’ to someone like Harry. “Two years ago… this was the day I set foot on Korriban. Was my first real day of freedom.”

Harry walked over to him, curled his fingers under Eggsy’s chin, and made him look up. “Do you really think I wouldn’t have marked this day?”

He brought his hand out from behind his back; he’d been hiding a bouquet. Eggsy took them from him, his eyes wide. He held them gently, the amazement clear on his face. Because who had ever given him flowers before?

“I didn’t… I mean…”

Harry stroked his cheek. “It was unfortunate that you were on your way to Alderaan this time last year. That couldn’t be helped.”

He came closer; close enough that Eggsy had to put his arms around the sith’s neck. Eggsy grinned, a bit uncertain as to _what_ Harry was doing. Because he was being sweet and gentle, and this sort of closeness usually meant sex and pain.

And then Harry leaned in, pressing his lips to Eggsy’s own and guiding them to open. Eggsy made a soft, shocked sound. He tensed up for a moment, and then melted into the kiss. He dropped the bouquet without meaning to, his hands pressing flat against Harry as he pressed himself tight against the sith. 

For all the things they’d done to him, for all the times he’d sucked them off, neither of them had ever kissed him. No one had. Who kisses a slave? They’re a hole to fuck; someone to do the job they don’t want to; someone to beat; whatever. But kiss? No.

He closed his eyes as Harry explored his mouth, tasting him in a way no one ever had. He occasionally met Harry’s tongue with his own. And when Harry withdrew from his mouth, Eggsy expected that would be the end of it, but then he realized _he_ was being invited to explore _Harry_ in the same way. He ran his tongue along the teeth that had bitten him so many times, and then he explored deeper. When he withdrew and they pulled apart, he looked up at Harry as if the man had given him a moon.

Harry laughed softly at the way Eggsy was looking at him. “It was just a kiss, Eggsy.”

Eggsy flushed and looked down. He pulled away from Harry. “Yeah. Right. Sorry. I…” Fuck, he felt like crying. Course it was just a kiss; nothin’ to feel… feel something over. “I… I, um. Feeding JB. That’s.”

He turned to leave, to go hide so he could be embarrassed in private. But Harry caught his arm and Eggsy just lowered his head. He pulled Eggsy close and held him.

“Tell me what upset you,” he said softly.

“Nothin’.”

“Please don’t lie to me, my dear one.”

Eggsy was quiet for a moment. “Ain’t no one… ever done that…” He pause. “I thought…” He shook his head. “Was stupid.”

“I didn’t realize,” Harry said softly. “You’ve never… tried to initiate it, so I thought you simply didn’t want it.”

Eggsy sulked. “You never waited before.”

Harry’s brow rose. “No? You propositioned me twice. I warned you that a third time and I would take you up on it. Then… we had our little misunderstanding, which, again, you initiated. Merlin left it between us, until you went to him. Things remained just you and I or just you and Merlin until you came to the both of us.”

Eggsy blinked up at him. “But… I… You…” 

Harry laughed softly and kissed him again; it wasn’t as thorough but it _was_ gentle. “I took a chance, and I was very pleased that you didn’t pull away.” He stroked Eggsy’s cheek. “Please tell me what you thought. I assure it that it wasn’t stupid.”

Eggsy flushed bright crimson. “I thought… it meant…” He shrugged. “I dunno… that you loved me or somethin’.” He forced a laugh. “Told you it was dumb.”

“Of course I love you,” Harry said softly.

“You do…? You ain’t never…”

“Eggsy… do you think I’m unaware that if I asked you to crawl, naked, over shards of glass because it would please me, that you would do it?” He kissed Eggsy’s forehead. “My sweet toy, if I’d told you that I love you, you would have said it back to me just to make me happy. I didn’t want that.”

It rose in Eggsy to protest, to say that he wouldn’t do either of those things. But then he just grinned a little; it was a guilty thing because he knew he would have done exactly that. He _wanted_ to please Harry, both as his apprentice and as his toy. It didn’t matter if Harry asked him to kill, to fuck, to take more pain than he could; he would do it.

He felt Merlin’s hands on his waist, and then his arms snaked around him. He was pinned between the two of them, which wasn’t unusual. But they were telling him, without words, how much he _was_ loved by them.

“So..” he said after a bit, “this where you strip me down an’ fuck me?”

Harry laughed softly. “Later, my toy.”

“Maybe you should wait until next year to give it to him,” Merlin teased. “I don’t think it’s going to top his first kiss.”

“Hmm, that is a point.”

“Give me?” He looked over his shoulder at Merlin and then up at Harry. “Give me _what_?”

“Oh, it’s… nothing major,” Harry said dismissively. “Just a small token. It’s sitting in docking bay 15 whenever you’d like to… go look at it.”

Eggsy’s eyes widened. “It’s in a _docking bay_? I’ve got my own ship now?”

“Well, you _are _a Lord of the Sith; you _should_ have one.”

Eggsy beamed at him. “So I can just… take off whenever I want?”

“Yes, although I would appreciate it if you held off on much exploring for… the next month or so,” he said. “I will need you here. Also, fuel is one of the few things a Sith cannot simply requisition.”

Eggsy grinned. “Yeah, what’s it gonna run me? Thousands?”

Harry shook his head. “You could go from here to Tatooine for 1,000 credits, although the return trip will be more expensive.”

“Yeah, cos it’s fuckin’ Tatooine and not an Imperial world.”

He was fucking excited. Tatooine was on the other side of the galaxy. He could go _anywhere_ if he wanted. He could even… go to Kafane, get his mother and sister. Once Harry was done with whatever he needed him to stay on Dromund Kaas for, he was going.


	37. Chapter 37

That night, Harry took them for a nice dinner in one of Kaas City’s more expensive restaurants. Eggsy was pleasantly buzzed when they got back. Harry and Merlin had been hinting all through dinner that they had something planned for the night. The door opened in front of him, letting him into the lounge. Harry and Merlin were right behind him, and Tilde was standing in the doorway leading to the bedrooms.

Her hands were up on the door-frame and her hair was loose about her shoulders. She had a single black, silk robe on and it was untied. The material lay over her breasts, just barely hiding her nipples. The silk trailed down her body, and it opened more the further down Eggsy’s eyes traveled. His eyes lingered on the thatch of blonde pubic hair, just a few shades darker than her hair. He wanted to run his fingers through it, slip his fingers to her clit, and pinch it just enough to make her cry out in mixed pleasure and pain.

Harry’s hands went around his neck and Eggsy tipped his head back, expecting them to tighten around his throat. Instead, they gently unclasped his cloak and took it away. Tilde sauntered over to him and untied his robe; she pulled it off of him. Merlin unclasped his skirt, and then Harry removed his under robe. 

Tilde took his hands and led him toward the bedroom. She let go of his hands one they were inside and shrugged off her robe. “I tried to convince them that you shouldn’t be allowed to cum tonight, but they said ‘no’.”

“It’s a special day for him,” Harry said. “He should get _everything_ coming to him.”

Eggsy shivered pleasantly and looked over at Harry; he and Merlin were in the midst of undressing. Tilde took him by the hand again and led him to the bed. She thought about pushing him down on it, but Harry’s instructions had been _very_ clear. They were to be _gentle_ with him… at first, and _then_ they could hurt him.

“Lay on your stomach,” she told him.

He got on the bed, on his stomach, his arms folded under his head. He wasn’t sure _what_ to expect, not from the two men who loved him and Tilde who… who… Yeah, he’d have to ask her later what, exactly, they were to each other. It was only a few moments before he felt her hands on the back of his thighs.

“Open those lovely legs for me,” she purred.

His brow rose - she’d never taken a strap-on to him before - but he obeyed. “Want me get up on my knees? Be a bit easier, yeah?”

“No,” she hummed a laugh. “You’re to relax.” She paused. “You _do_ want to be stretched, don’t you?” She leaned forward and kissed the small of his back. “I’d understand if you didn’t. I know how _wonderfully_ painful it is to have Harry just _batter_ his way inside one’s arsehole.”

Eggsy moaned softly at the thought. “_Fuck_.”

She laughed and pressed a toy inside of him. She started slowly and gently fucking him with it. She kept a hand on the small of his back to keep him from moving all too much. The point was to get him ready for Harry, not to get him off. She withdrew it after a bit and ran her fingers along the small of his back.

“You’ll still be a bit tight for him.”

He rolled onto his side. “So what’re you and Merlin gonna be doin’?”

She laughed softly and got off of the bed. She nodded to where Merlin and Harry were. They had laid out a couple pillows in the middle of the floor. “Head, back,” she said, indicating each one in turn.

He gave her a curious look and then got off of the bed. He went over to the pillows and was about to lay down when he felt Harry’s hand around his neck. He stopped moving and tipped his head back.

“Once you lay down, there’s no turning back. Whatever we do to you, you’ll take it. However much it hurts, or frightens you, or anything else… you _will_ take it.”

Eggsy shivered. “Yes, Harry,” he whispered.

Harry squeezed his neck. “Good boy,” he said, pressing a kiss to Eggsy’s temple.

Eggsy grinned at the praise and lay on the pillows. He felt a bit of unease, yes, at the idea they might do something that would frighten him. But… he trusted them; they _loved_ him. Whatever they did to him, it was nothing he truly needed to fear.

Merlin knelt by his head. “Give me your hands.”

Eggsy held his hands up and Merlin slipped a pair of binders around his wrists. He saw the flicker of fear in his toy’s eyes and smiled slowly, coldly, as he lay Eggsy’s bound wrists on the floor, just above his head. If he’d known his toy feared being restrained during sex, he would have told Harry they should bind him completely.

Ah well, another time.

Harry, meanwhile, had knelt between Eggy’s legs. “Angle your hips up for me, my toy,” he said softly.

He angled his hips up and clenched his hands as Harry pushed inside of him. He let out a soft cry of pleasure and pain as he was forcibly stretched further. He wrapped his legs around Harry’s waist, his hands coming up to pull his lover down on him. His hands had barely left the floor when Merlin forced them back to the floor.

“Leave them where they are,” Merlin growled. “Or I’ll restrain you further.”

Eggsy shivered, the fear returning to his eyes. He kept his arms still as Harry started thrusting inside of him. The fear soon melted away as Harry angled himself to hit Eggsy’s prostate. Eggsy arched up against him, his hands clenching into fists. He felt Harry’s hand wrap around his cock and start stroking in time with his thrusts. And then Harry stopped - stopped thrusting, stopped stroking - and his hand fell away.

“Tilde,” was all he said. 

She went over to them and straddled Eggsy’s lap, facing Harry. She slowly lowered herself on Eggsy's cock, sighing softly in pleasure as he slipped so easily inside of her, and put her hands on his hips. She and Harry started moving in time, riding and fucking him as one. Their movements were slow, deliberate. Tilde let her head fall back, soft moans escaping her.

Merlin wrapped his hand in Eggsy’s hair and jerked his head up so he could watch as they fucked him. Harry grabbed onto Tilde’s breasts and sent electric shocks through her. She screeched, rising up and then sinking - hard - back on Eggsy and grinding against him. He slid his hands to her nipples and twisted them, hard, shocking her again as he did so. She moaned in pain and pleasure; Eggsy felt her shudder and tighten around his cock.

“Do you see,” Merlin purred, “how your Master pleasures her even while she rides your cock?” He wrapped his free hand around Eggsy’s throat and squeezed; not enough to stop him from breathing but enough to make it difficult.

Harry leaned forward and took her nipple into his mouth. He bit down, hard enough to make her shriek, and dropped his hand between them. He slid his fingers to her clit and rubbed it. She started riding Eggsy faster and harder. Harry held her still with the Force and bit down harder, hard enough that he tasted blood. She screamed, her shoulders shaking with the pain of it.

“You’re going to go slowly on him or you will not be moving. I _will_ torment you until you’re on the cusp of cuming and then leave you, his cock inside you, teasing you, while you remain unable to move.”

She moaned weakly. “I’ll go slower,” she whimpered.

Harry’s fingers tightened around her clit, pinching it with no more mercy than he had her nipples; she screamed and arched against his hand. “You want more of that, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

“Then pinch your nipples, pet.”

Eggsy watched her hands go to her breasts. He heard her whimpers as Harry rubbed and pinched her clit. And then Merlin’s hand tightened around his throat even more. His breath came in whistling little gasps.

“You’ve never seen her like that, have you, my toy? Taking so much pain and yet asking for more.”

Eggsy made a weak sound.

“And all while she rides _you_; you, who she’s forgotten in her ecstasy.”

Eggsy’s lungs were burning, and he was starting to see spots. Even still, he wanted to keep watching; to listen to Tilde’s shrieks and moans as Harry tormented her. 

“Do you want more, toy?”

Eggsy nodded as best as he could and Merlin let go of his throat. Eggsy gasped for air, even as Merlin dropped his head. He was expecting Merlin to do something - to hurt him, mainly - but Merlin just stroked his cheek.

“Take several deep, slow breaths. We’re going to see how long you _can_ hold your breath.”

Eggsy did as he said while Merlin straddled him. Merlin’s hand wrapped in his hair, guiding his head up. He fed Eggsy his cock, making him take all of it. He started slowly fucking his toy’s mouth, and then went up on his knees, guiding Eggsy’s head back to the pillow.

He leaned forward, his hands grasping Eggsy’s forearms, and started fucking his mouth again. His thrusts were slow and languid, and when he was fully against Eggsy’s face, his toy had no way to breathe. And then he leaned fully against him and started thrusting; short, rapid thrusts that gave Eggsy little-to-no time to get even a gasp of air.

It was longer than Merlin expected before Eggsy started struggling reflexively. With his hands bound and Merlin’s weight on his arms, he could do little. He tried to buck his hips, but between Harry holding him still and Tilde riding him, he couldn’t move very far. He heard their cries rising as his struggles brought them closer. His lungs burned from the need to breathe. He felt Tilde shuddering against him as she came. Black spots bloomed before him. His struggles grew weaker and Merlin stopped thrusting into his mouth. He stayed tight against Eggsy, waiting for him to still and feeling the weak pleas his toy was attempting to make. Once his struggles stopped and his pleas fell silent, Merlin returned to his brutal fucking.

He and Harry came in short order. Merlin took the restraints off of Eggsy and they carried him to the bed. They laid him out as he had passed out; his hands over his head, his legs spread and bent. And then they waited for him to regain consciousness.

They barely had him laid out when he began to stir. Tilde knelt on the bed and took his still lingering erection into her mouth. He moaned softly as his eyes opened. He’d been close when he’d passed out, and he came hard in her mouth. She sucked up his cum, crawled up his body, and kissed him, feeding him his own cum. He swallowed what she gave him, and when she broke the kiss, she nipped at his lip before curling up against him.

“Merlin,” he whispered, “c’n I move my arms now?”

Merlin sat on the bed beside him and stroked his cheek. “Such a good boy, asking first.” He nodded. “Of course you may.”

He slid an arm under Tilde and held onto her. His other hand he put on Merlin’s thigh. Really, except for the end, he’s enjoyed himself. Sure, he’d been a little terrified at the end, his trust wavering a bit, but he’d agreed to whatever they wanted. 

“You were so good,” Harry purred, “even _if_ you fought at the end.”

Eggsy flushed. “Couldn’t help it. I was… kinda bein’ smothered.”

“You must have enjoyed it,” Tilde laughed softly. “You came hard enough.”

“I think we’ll have to restrain you more often,” Merlin said, gently stroking Eggsy’s arm. “To teach you not to fear it, of course.”

Eggsy shivered and Merlin could sense his fear. “If… you wanna… I guess.”

“Darling, it wouldn’t do for a Sith to fear being in chains. If you were ever captured, you might break before you could escape.”

Eggsy stared at Harry for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, that… that makes sense.” He bit his lip. “Alright, yeah, we can… do that more often.”

“So good,” Harry said softly. “You’ve pleased us greatly tonight, my precious toy.”

“Perhaps I could become a normal part of this,” Tilde cooed, running her fingers down his chest. “It could be like tonight at times, with us both being fucked and tormented. Other times, the three of us could take turns fucking and hurting you; making you scream for us, cum for us. Would you like that?”

Eggsy closed his eyes, his head tipping back. He groaned softly.

“I told you once you’d enjoy being my slave. I think you’ll find being my toy even _more_ pleasurable.”

He hissed a breath. “Yeah,” he whispered. “If… if Harry and Merlin are alright with it.”

She laughed softly. “It was their idea to begin with.”

“She knows she isn’t to leave you exhausted,” Harry said. “I still expect you to be of use to me.”

Eggsy nodded. “Course, Harry.”

She shrugged Harry’s words off. After all, she’d never said she’d be _exclusively_ fucking them; her appetite was too great for that. It was why she had Roxy… and whatever Sith happened to catch her eye at any given time. She knew she could easily manage to keep herself satiated without exhausting Eggsy.

Merlin and Harry settled into bed against the other two; Tilde and Merlin pinned Eggsy between them, which he was quite content with. Merlin lay his hand over Eggsy’s throat possessively. Eggsy sighed softly, feeling how much he was _theirs_.


	38. Chapter 38

Harry had come home and announced they were taking a trip offworld for, what he termed, an important mission. Eggsy had been all but chomping at the bit to get offworld. He didn’t mind the tasks Harry kept sending him on, but… he _really_ wanted to take his ship for a fuckin’ spin. One that would take him to Kafane and back, of course.

They had been en route for three days and Harry _still_ hadn’t told Eggsy where they were going. Merlin hadn’t told him, either. The ship’s droid had refused, saying that it had been ordered to say nothing. And then it had apologized profusely and asked to not be deactivated. That much told Eggsy that it wasn’t an officially sanctioned mission and was, therefore, personal.

It was only a few hours later when Eggsy felt the ship slow, come out of hyperdrive, and begin landing procedures. He wanted to go into the cockpit and see where they were, but Harry caught him before he could. His Master stood in the center of the corridor, blocking the fucking passage. 

“Go put a top on, and a robe.” He paused, considering. “Pull the hood up, as well.”

Eggsy bowed and went to do just that. He looked at the robes he’d brought; he put on a sleeveless black leather top and a black velvet robe which was embroidered with gold runes. Leather and velvet seemed a good combination. He couldn’t be certain if they were going into a fight or somewhere more formal; the combination worked for either, really. He pulled the hood low over his face. He had a feeling Harry’s aim was to hide his slave brand. That told him it was either an Imperial world where an ex-slave Sith wouldn’t be taken seriously or a world rife with slavers.

Harry approved of the outfit and led him down the ramp into the docking bay. The lobby was full of slaves working as prostitutes; that answered the question of the sort of world they were on. It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Eggsy realized _where exactly_ they were. He knew this place, intimately. Harry felt the sudden, intense surge of rage from his apprentice; he smiled slowly at it although he doubted it would be needed.

“Kafane,” Eggsy snarled. He took a breath and sighed it through his nose. He _had_ wanted to come here, after all.

“Yes, Protervitas,” Harry confirmed. “You did still want to come for them, did you not?”

His rage abated somewhat. Harry _had_ told him that he’d taken care of Dean. His mum and sister might be in charge of Dean’s estate now, although he doubted she would have kept everyone a slave. Despite the very pro-slavery attitude of both the Empire and the Hutt Cartels, he was - rather understandably - very anti-slavery and expected the same of his mum.

“We’re bringin’ them home finally?”

“Yes, my apprentice,” Harry said as he motioned to the taxi.

They took the taxi to the estate, to where Eggsy had grown up. It looked the same to his eye, unchanged by the nearly two and a half years he’d been gone. He wanted to burn the estate. He wanted to raze it all, and then salt the ground. He took a steadying breath as they left the taxi and started toward the gate.

A twi’lek met them. She was a soft, pastel shade of orange - something Eggsy would have to tell Roxy about later - and she bore a brand he’d never seen before. She had the three dots above and below her left eye. There was a string of characters beside the lower dots, as well as Dean’s personal mark. While Eggsy wasn’t certain what _type_ of slave she was, her brand proclaimed her as belonging to Dean; it left Eggsy with an uneasy feeling.

“Welcome to our estate,” she said with a bow. She was dressed the same way Michelle had always been; like a hutt slave. “How may I grant your pleasures?”

“We’re here to see a woman by the name of Michelle,” Harry said, his tone light. He was starting to wonder if he hadn’t been betrayed by the gree. Or if some low ranking hutt hadn’t decided to take over. He actually hoped it was the later. 

The twi’lek frowned. She looked uncertain and a little afraid. “I don’t… know her? I’m very sorry. If you’d like, I can take you to my master. He might be able to help you more than I.”

“Yeah, take us,” Eggsy snapped. 

She winced, clearly afraid that she’d pay for their displeasure, and then she bowed again. She led them into the estate. For all the outside hadn’t changed, the inside _had_. It was decorated in a far more opulent manner; it was almost starting to look like the promenade on Nar Shaddaa. There was color and gold everywhere. Clearly, whoever had taken over the estate either was a hutt or wanted it to _look _like a hutt was there, wallowing in their riches and slaves. 

“Master,” she said once they were in the main room, “these gentlemen wish something I cannot provide.”

“Eh, lazy fuckin’ bitch. Should sell ya back to the hutt I bought you from.”

He waved his hand, dismissing her. She bowed to him and moved off to the side of the room, hands clasped in front of her. There was a speaker on the wall, and it suddenly clicked for Harry exactly what type of slave she was. She amounted to the master’s major-domo. He had to wonder what it was like for her; to run a portion of the estate in her master’s name; to see that the other slaves obeyed or were beaten as need be. He wondered what she had begun as, or if she’d come to him trained in such a manner.

As to Eggsy, his breath was coming in hard, shallow gasps. Harry sensed the rising hatred and rage (and was that fear?) in his apprentice. The master in question, the one who warranted such a reaction from the Sith Lord, was lounging on a divan that looked very similar in style to a hutt’s divan. A blue twi’lek was chained and sitting on the floor at his feet. A green one was dancing in the center of the room. Eggsy barely saw them; his focus was on the master; on the man who most certainly was _not_ a hutt; on _Dean_.

Eggsy’s hand shot out and Dean was enveloped in lightning. His screams brought a cold smile to Eggsy’s lips. They were as beautiful to his ears as he’d remembered. The orange and green twi’leks fled, although Eggsy was faintly aware of them watching from the doorway. The blue one ran to the end of her chains and cowered. If Eggsy had bothered looking at them, he would have seen the mixed pleasure and dread on their faces. But Eggsy’s attention was only for Dean. Eggsy wanted to hold him in the lightning, keep him there until he died from it. But… if the new slave hadn’t known his mother, that meant he’d fucking sold her. And so, he let the lightning end. He needed Dean alive, at least for now.

“Perhaps asking him and _then_ torturing him would be in order,” Harry suggested.

Dean struggled to get to his feet. He still felt shaky from the lightning. When or how had he angered a Sith? Or was that just their normal greeting when they wanted something? Or when they came looking for something a merchant didn’t have? He wasn’t stupid, not when it came to business. He knew his best bet for coming away from this alive was to give them whatever they wanted, and probably at no charge.

“Didn’t know I’d… attracted Sith to my little whorehouse.” He coughed and groaned. “Whatever it is you need, my Lords. It’s on the house.”

“You’ll give me whatever I want?” Eggsy asked darkly, stalking toward him.

“Course, my Lord! Anything for a Sith.” Dean offered him a shaky smile. “Got twi’leks, humans, even got a cathar. _Really_ bendy that one; can fuck in positions most men’ve never dreamed of. Got a few male humans, if that’s your pleasure.”

Eggsy hummed thoughtfully, as if the options Dean had presented were of _any_ interest at all. “What I want… is for you to bow down before me.”

Dean eyed him for a moment; Eggsy could see the fear in his eyes, and he _relished_ it. Dean nodded and got to his knees. He bowed forward, his hands on the floor. Clearly, he had done _something_. His mind whirled over his more recent transactions. He hadn’t cheated anyone, not really, and he’d bought his new girls from a reputable source.

“Very good,” Eggsy purred. “Now, kiss the tips of my shoes.”

Dean wanted to balk. He wanted to protest that he wasn’t a slave and shouldn’t be treated like one. But he knew better than to say that. He knew he could end up their slave if he did. He’d heard of the sort of torture Sith put their slaves through. He was most anxious to avoid that.

He scooted forward and the Sith lifted his leather skirt just enough. Dean kissed the tips of the Sith’s leather boots. He feared what would be demanded of him next. Would he be told to lick them next? Or to crawl to the other Sith and repeat the actions?

Instead of demanding another act of humiliation, Eggsy brought his hand up and closed it into a fist. Dean was lifted by the Force, his hands clawing at his neck as he tried to breathe. Eggsy held him like that, coldly watching him as his face turned red; watching him even as he choked out what might have been a plea for mercy. 

“There is _one_ more thing I want from you,” he said coldly and dropped Dean.

Dean coughed, holding onto his neck for dear life, as if that would stop the Sith from strangling him again. “Anything, my Lord! _Anything_! Name it and it’s yours! Money, slaves. I still got good contacts; I could have you in all the spice you want.”

“None of that,” he said as he pushed his hood back. “_Where_ is my _mother_?”

Dean stared up at him, his mouth trying to form words and failing. He’d been told his slave was to be executed. No one had bothered to tell him that the Sith Academy had been notified of a slave who might have shown Force abilities. 

“You…” he finally managed to sputter. “You ain’t dead.”

“No, I’m not,” Eggsy agreed. “What I _am_ is a Lord of the Sith; one who is _very_ likely to kill you as slowly as possible.”

“Look, look Eggsy-”

His hand shot out and Dean was, again, enveloped in lighting. Eggsy released him only after a short burst. “You will address me _properly_ as ‘Lord Protervitas’.”

Dean whined in fear. “Yes, yes Lord Protervitas.”

“Now _answer_ me.”

“I-I made a deal. These gree came after me. See, I stole from them a long time ago, ‘fore you was even born. And, and they caught up with me.” He looked from one Sith to the other. “I convinced them to take Michelle and the brat-” He winced. “I-I mean your sister, my Lord. They look at their tech like their own children, so I figured… they’d take mine in exchange. I told ‘em who I sold the tech to an’ everythin’ so they could track it down. So… so they’re on Gree. Or they were. I don’t know if they, you know, sold them.”

“Thank you, Dean,” Eggsy said and turned away.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief; relief that was short lived as Eggsy stopped moving and turned back. Dean tensed for the assault he _knew_ was coming. He waited for Eggsy to raise his hand, to feel the terrible power of the Force. And now that he’d given Eggsy what he wanted, there was no reason not to kill him, was there?

“One more thing…”

“Yeah…? Um, my Lord.”

“My other sister. Where is she?”

Dean shook his head. “Swear I don’t know! Slave trader was passin’ through. I gave her to ‘im for 100 credits. Never even asked his name.”

Eggsy nodded. “That’s… all I wanted.”

“You… you ain’t gonna kill me?” Dean asked hopefully.

Eggsy laughed; it held a thin veneer of mirth over something cold as ice. “No, of course not. Why would I _kill_ you?”

Dean breathed a shaky laugh. “Oh! Oh, well…. Thank you. That’s… that’s very merciful of you, my Lord.”

“No, it really isn’t,” Eggsy said coldly. “Because you’re going to wish I’d killed you _long_ before I allow you to die.”

Dean quailed and tried to scramble away. But he very quickly found himself enveloped in lighting again. This time, Eggsy held it through his screams; through his pleas for mercy. He held it until Dean passed out. And then Eggsy smiled, because _fuck_ had that felt _good_.

He heard a soft whimper and realized the blue twi’lek was still there. She was watching him with dread, fearing that he would turn his anger on her now. He went over to her and took out his lightsaber. She cringed away from him, expecting to feel the blade slicing through her body in seconds.

“Hold up your hands,” he said, with none of the cruelty and malice he’d thrown at Dean.

She held her hands up and winced as he slashed her chains. She blinked a few times, looked at her hands, at the cut chains, and then at him. “My… my Lord…? Am, am I to go with you…?” 

Eggsy shook his head and turned to Harry. “Can you get Custos out here? I don’t know Dean’s access codes.”

Harry nodded and used his holocom to call him. It was less than ten minutes before Merlin joined them. He had a data spike in hand and Eggsy showed him to Dean’s terminal. Merlin sliced his way through Dean’s protections and into the files.

“Can you set it up so they-” he nodded toward the twi’lek “-can keep using it?”

“Yeah,” Merlin keyed in a number of strokes and then looked at Eggsy. “What else?”

“Bring up his bank account.” He eyed the number that Merlin pulled up. “Fuck me,” he whispered. “Alright, transfer half of that into my account. My mum and sister _deserve_ it. The rest of it-” he looked over at the twi’lek “-get everyone to open accounts and split it up.”

She stared at him with wide, purple eyes. “Y-yes, my Lord…” she said softly. “Thank you.”

“Deactivate their slave collars.” He waited for Merlin to do that. “There. You’re all free now; you’ve got enough money to start lives.” He Force lifted Dean and propelled him toward the doorway. “I’d suggest doin’ it quick-like before word spreads that Dean’s been grabbed by Sith.”

He carried Dean out to the taxi and tossed him in haphazardly. Dean was going to be his new plaything, his new victim to experiment Force abilities on. Tilde had once told him would one day be able to kill Dean as slowly as his control allowed. He was going to find out _just_ how slowly he could go.


	39. Chapter 39

They stopped off at Dromund Kaas just long enough to put Dean in his new home; they left him bound to the restraint table beside the kolto tank. It was a constant and silent reminder of what the slaver was going to face. And then they left again, this time for the Gree homeworld. Eggsy tried to meditate on the way. Tried, and failed repeatedly as his anger kept surging within him. 

Harry and Merlin didn’t bother trying to calm him down. Primarily because _they_ were both furious, as well. The gree knew very well what the Sith were like, and how the Sith would react to something like this. The gree should have realized they would be very lucky to survive this encounter. They had, clearly, counted on Harry not following up on their agreement; Harry, still in the midst of his feud, hadn’t wanted to tip off Basileus.

They arrived at Gree and Harry had the ship set down, not in a docking bay, but right in the middle of the city. It crashed through several buildings, the ships shields shimmering with every hit. They sent many of the cephalopods running. The ramp lowered and the three Sith stalked out, Harry in front, Merlin and Eggsy flanking him; they kept their hoods low and their lightsabers out.

He led them inside the building they’d parked outside of; the same building he and Merlin had gone to two years earlier. The three of them cut down the guards that came to meet them; they showed no mercy to the ones that tried to run. They made their way to the main chamber, to where the trio Harry had dealt with were huddling. They started yelling; Harry let them babble in their language for a bit before pushing his hood back. They fell silent.

“I _thought_ we had an _agreement_,” Harry snarled.

The three gree launched into a rapid fire spiel. Harry, proficient enough in Gree if it was one speaker at normal speed, quickly lost whatever they were saying. Eggsy, on the other hand, quickly lost what remained of his patience. He leapt at them, reigniting his lightsaber in midair. He landed in front of the one in the middle and brought the sword up to its neck. All three fell silent.

“Well, that was efficient,” Merlin said.

“Translator,” Eggsy snarled. “Now.”

The one on the left yelled out something that was lost on Eggsy. Another gree brought out a woman in chains. Her head was bowed. Her light brown hair was cut short, and almost ragged looking. As if whoever kept it cut simply gathered it up and cut it all at once. She looked broken but not battered, as if she were living only out of habit. Eggsy realized after a moment that it was his mother. The lightsaber in his hands twitched with his desire to murder the gree.

She bowed before Harry and Merlin. “My masters say you wish a translator,” she said quietly.

“They altered our agreement, therefore _I_ am altering it further,” Harry said darkly. “Tell them they _will_ bring me the child of Dean Baker.”

Michelle made a weak sound and looked up at him, a silent plea in her eyes. Harry could see the pain in her eyes and the fear of losing her last child, but he did not let that affect him. He would not show weakness in front of an enemy, and these gree had made themselves enemies.

Michelle lowered her head and relayed his words to her masters. She knew, when it came down to it, when the Sith gave them the choice of the child or their lives, they would give her baby up. Her baby would become a slave to a Sith, and a pureblood at that. She wanted to beg him to take her instead, but what was _she_ worth to a Sith? A Sith who was furious and would certainly know that giving up the child would mean _something_ to her masters.

The three began babbling between themselves again. Rapidly. Too rapidly for Harry to follow, and almost too rapidly for Michelle. She pushed her thoughts away, her pain, and tried to listen to them.

“What are they saying?” Harry asked quietly.

“They feel they honored the deal in spirit, if not the letter. They’re… trying to figure out something else to offer you, to work this out without giving… the child of the Grey Pentachoron up.”

Harry sighed irritably. “Lord Protervitas, if you would?”

“Gladly,” he hissed.

He swung the lightsaber and severed two of the gree’s tentacles. It squealed in pain and inched back from him. And then it began yelling. All Eggsy understood of it was the phrase they’d used for Dean.

“They’re bringing her, my Lord,” Michelle said softly.

Eggsy saw the gree holding the small child, his little sister. He knew she was a bit over a year and a half, and she was beautiful. He felt both his heart melting at the sight of her and his desire to murder the gree becoming almost too great to be ignored. He took a breath in an attempt to control his murderous impulse and switched his lightsaber off, although he kept it in hand.

He went to the gree and carefully took his little sister from it, holding her as the precious thing she was. He took her over to his mother and held her out. Michelle looked away. Eggsy could feel her wanting to touch the child, wanting to and _fearing_ to. The rage boiled within him again. He wanted to hurt _them_ however they’d hurt _her_.

“Take her,” Harry said, his own anger present in his words. “And then tell your masters that we are seizing _you _for our troubles.”

She looked up at him, eyes wide. “You’re… you’re taking me? And I can hold her?”

“Did I stutter?” Harry asked coolly.

“No! No, master!”

She took her baby from Eggsy and clutched her against her body. She let out a shuddery breath from being allowed the simple act of holding her child; the child that - as far as she knew - was her only living child. She told the gree what Harry had said. They objected, loudly; Harry didn’t need her to translate to know that. He and Merlin reignited their lightsabers. 

“Lord Protervitas, take our new slaves on board and find them a space. I don’t care _where_ you put them.”

Eggsy bowed. “Yes, my Master.”

He nodded toward the door and started that way, Michelle behind him and still clutching the baby to herself. They heard the lightsabers and the screams of the gree as Harry and Merlin cut them down. It was music to Eggsy’s ears.


	40. Chapter 40

Eggsy took her to one of the empty quarters. It was the largest on the ship, save for Harry’s own. There had been two beds in the room; now there was a bed and a crib. There were several soft toys in the crib. 

“It’s a few days to Dromund Kaas.”

She nodded. “Yes, master.”

Eggsy winced. “Please… don’t call me that.”

“I’m sorry, my Lord. It won’t happen again.”

“My, my name’s Protervitas. You don’t… have to call me ‘Lord’.”

“As you like, Protervitas.”

Eggsy was silent for a moment and then took his lightsaber off of his belt. “Put her down for a second, yeah?”

She put the baby down in the crib with a weak sound. She hadn’t been allowed to touch her own child in _months_; she didn’t want to be parted from her again so soon. She went back to him, unsure of what he was going to do to her.

He took her hand and carefully cut the chain, and then cut the chain from her other wrist. He eyed the cuffs, themselves, but decided they were too tight to try with the lightsaber.

“When we get there, we’ll get the cuffs taken off.” He switched the lightsaber off and clipped it back to his belt. “I mean, I could try to cut them off, but I might be as likely to cut your hand off.”

She kept her head down, and Eggsy could feel her terror. He understood all too well. He remembered the terror _he’d_ felt when Tilde had walked into the prison; when he hadn’t known if he would live or die, only that his life was in the hands of a Sith.

She couldn’t feel it, but he had fear of his own. Fear that she’d look at his face, at his golden eyes, and turn away from him; that she’d deny him because he was Sith. Why else wouldn’t his father have told her? But he couldn’t - he _wouldn’t_ \- leave her to her own terror because of his fear. It she hated him for what he’d become… so be it.

He pushed his hood back and curled his hand under her chin. He felt her tense up as he guided her to look up at him. She stared at him for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She shook her head a couple times, as if it would make the vision of her son vanish.

He gave her a cautious smile. She hadn’t pushed him away. That was a good sign.

“Baby…?”

“Hi, mum.”

She touched him; his face, his hair, his arms. She caressed his temples, looking at his golden eyes. She’d always heard that such a thing happened to Sith once they were deep in the Dark Side. When she still didn’t push him away, he pulled her close and she clung to him. He heard her crying against him and he whispered to her that everything was alright, that she was safe, the baby was safe.

“I thought you were dead,” she whispered.

“I know. I’m sorry. We couldn’t risk the man who had dad killed finding out.”

She frowned a little and looked up at him. “What d’you mean ‘had him killed’? Why would someone have your dad killed?”

“It was Darth Vindicta’s old Master.” He paused. “Darth Vindicta would be the pureblood. Dad… Dad was his apprentice.”

She shook her head. “Lee was _Sith_?”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, he was Sith. And Darth Vindicta’s old Master, the man who saw you an’ I sold to Dean, is _very_ dead.”

She smiled a little and then leaned her head against him. She couldn’t say that didn’t make her happy. She sighed, almost contentedly, against him after a moment. “Will you… tell him I won’t run? That I-I don’t need a shock collar?” She looked up at him again. “If you’re there, I’ll _stay _and I’ll behave. I’ll do everything he says, no matter what.”

Eggsy frowned a little in confusion and then smiled. “Mum, you ain’t no one’s slave no more. Harry might be my Master, but I think he knows I’d kill him.” He shook his head. “Dromund Kaas is great, mum. And the baby? She can get a _good_ education. You’ll have everything.”

She pet his face. “Is he good to you? Does he treat you well?”

“Harry?” He nodded. “Fuck yeah. Harry’s great.”

She bit her lip. “Will he let me see you much?”

He frowned again and shook his head. “The fuck’s he gonna do about it?”

“He’s… your master…”

He laughed. “No! No, mum, not like that. It ain’t in the sense that he _owns_ me. It’s… I’m his apprentice; he’s my Master. It’s _that _kinda thing. I ain’t been a slave since they took me to Korriban.”

He pressed his forehead against hers, and they stayed that way for some time. They would have stayed that way longer, but the baby started fussing. Michelle let go of her son and went to her daughter. She picked her up and sat on the bed, holding her close. Two of her children returned to her, all in one day. And her freedom. She was almost afraid she was going to wake up, still be in chains, still be on Gree.

“You ain’t gotta worry about anyone hurtin’ you anymore. Anyone does, you tell me an’ I’ll take care of them.” Eggsy sat beside her and stroked the baby’s cheek. “What’s her name?”

“Rose,” Michelle said softly. “I named… the other one Daisy. I know she’s gone, but…”

“I’ll find her. I dunno how, but I will.”

Michelle shook her head. “Dean probably just…” She’d always assumed Dean simply… threw her down a well or drowned her or something else. 

“He sold her for 100 credits. Says he don’t know to who.”

“Then how’ll you find her?”

Eggsy smiled coldly. “Sure I can give him some… incentive… to tell me what he really knows.”

Her eyes widened, in surprise and not fear. She didn’t fear her baby, no matter how much he seemed to have changed. Because that coldness, that anger… that would never be aimed at her, and she knew it. After a moment, she realized it shouldn’t surprise her that Eggsy was more than ready to torture Dean. That _was_ how his powers had awakened.

“I don’t think I wanna know what you’re gonna do to him,” she said finally. But part of her did. Part of her wanted to hear him screaming in pain again.

Eggsy grinned, the warmth coming back into his face. “Yeah, you don’t.” He stroked her cheek. “You know, if you wanna stay in here for the trip, that’s alright. I mean, you ain’t gotta, but if you feel safer, that’s fine.”

“No, I’ll…” She looked down for a moment and then back up at him. “If you’re out there… I know you’ll keep me safe.”

He kissed her forehead. He was glad she hadn’t denied him, that she trusted him. He stayed in the room with her for quite some time. He’d missed her; even when he’d belonged to Dean, he’d missed her. He wasn’t ready to share her quite yet.


	41. Chapter 41

It was a bit over an hour later when the bedroom door chime sounded. Rose was asleep in Michelle’s arms; Michelle was leaning against Eggsy’s chest. Eggsy didn’t want to move either of them, nor did he want to yell loud enough to wake Rose. So he reached out and used the Force to hit the button for the door.

Harry was on the other side. He looked much calmer now; now that he’d slaughtered the gree who’d betrayed him and their homeworld was a handful of parsecs behind them. He looked immaculate again, having changed out of his battle wear and taken the time to freshen himself up.

He smiled gently enough, for a Sith, anyway. “I was thinking about a meal and a drink. I thought you-” 

Michelle jumped up before he could continue, clutching Rose to herself protectively. Eggsy might have told her that she wasn’t a slave anymore, but it hadn’t yet sunk in all the way. “Yes, my Lord. I-I don’t know where anything is, but of course I’ll make it.”

Eggsy put a hand on her. He could feel how frightened she’d become at the presence of his Master. “Mum, it’s alright.” He stood up. “He ain’t askin’ you to make nothin’. _Right_, Harry?”

“Certainly not. You are my guest aboard this ship, Mrs. Unwin. I’d hardly ask you to do something when I have a perfectly capable droid.” He shook his head. “I merely came to invite you to join us.”

“Oh…” she said softly, her face flushing.

Eggsy pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s gonna be difficult transitioning, mum. None of us are gonna think bad of you for it.” He looked at Harry. “Can Reece make up something for Rose?”

“I have already told him to do just that.” Harry held his arm out. “May I escort you, madam?”

Michelle flushed again. She looked at Eggsy, who nodded, and then hesitantly took Harry’s arm. She still held Rose tightly against her body, but Eggsy was with her; she was safe. Harry led her to the conference room, and then pulled out the chair for her. She looked shyly pleased, and almost a little overwhelmed. It had been a _long_ time since anyone had treated her like this.

It was only a few minutes before Reece, the ship’s droid whose actual designation was R-3SE, came in, a tray on its hand with drinks and a bowl of cut up fruit and meat. It passed out the drinks, setting down Michelle’s last and setting Rose's food close enough for Michelle to easily reach. Eggsy watched as she fed Rose; watched the soft smile form; watched as a tear rolled down her cheek. He stroked her hair gently, just watching her and loving her.

Harry kept quiet until she was finished, until her attention wasn’t solely for her daughter. And then he slowly got her to talk about herself. He probed gently, lightly, almost exploring her. He kept his questions to things about _her_, and then let her guide where his next went. It wasn’t long before she was flushed again and smiling at him.

After their meal, Harry showed her around the ship, escorting her the way he had to dinner. It wasn’t long before she was staring up at him with the same sort of adoration that was so often on Eggsy’s face. Harry was treating her with gentle care, and it wasn’t entirely affected on Harry’s part. He _had_ cared for Lee and he _did_ love Eggsy, but he was also talented at manipulation. He knew how to zero in on what someone wanted (such as Eggsy’s endless desire for praise) or needed (such as Michelle’s need to be treated like a woman and not a slave).

He kept her happy and giggling for the rest of the evening, being the perfect, attentive host and only leaving her side when they retired for the night. He kissed her hand as he left her and then let her see him squeeze Eggsy’s neck. It was a possessive but affectionate gesture. 

“Ni’, Harry,” he said and then lingered in the doorway. “You want me stay with you?”

Michelle checked on Rose, asleep in the crib Reece had set up for her, and then nodded shyly. “If it’s not…”

“It ain’t a bother, mum,” he said gently.

He got her one of his silk under robes and waited while she changed into it. He let her get into the bed and then curled up behind her, his hand on her stomach and her hand on his. He shut off the lights with barely a movement.

She lay there, not wanting to sleep. It had been a _long_ time since she’d felt safe in a bed. And now she was between soft, almost silky feeling sheets, wrapped in silk, and feeling the soft velvet of her son’s skirt against her calves; his arm around her, his chest against her back.

There were two other men on the ship and she wasn’t all that afraid of them. They were men who had killed for her; who had set her free; who had given her back _two_ of her children. And then they had treated her as if she’d never been a slave; as if the brand proclaiming her a sex slave didn’t exist. 

She felt _safe_ around them; _safe_ in this place. She wanted to _stay_ with that feeling, to live inside of it. But she was comfortable and warm, full of good food and good drink. She had little choice in the matter as she drifted off in her son’s arms, try as she might to stay awake.


	42. Chapter 42

That safe feeling evaporated once they arrived on Dromund Kaas. Eggsy had given her one of his cloaks to wear, to let her hide her brand, but she still felt as if every eye were on her; as if people would start going to Harry and asking to rent her. She kept a firm hold on Rose, hiding the child from sight beneath the cloak.

Eggsy, meanwhile, kept an arm around her and a hand on her arm. His posture spoke of how protective he would be of her, and he was silently daring anyone to try anything. But it was only a short walk from Harry’s private docking bay to the taxi; they passed few others.

Michelle made a soft sound as they flew over Kaas City. There had been big cities on Bryx, but she’d never been to any of them, and she’d seen very little but the medical center and Dean’s estate on Kafane… Not that it could have been called a city; a town at most. She had the same urge Eggsy’d had; she wanted to look everywhere at once. But she kept herself still. It was too ingrained in her to do otherwise.

“Once you’re settled in, we could go do some shoppin’,” Eggsy offered. He could _feel_ her wanting to move around. He grinned and said, “Ain’t like you’re hurtin’ for money anymore.”

She looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Dean had a fuckin’ fortune. I took half of it for you.” Eggsy shrugged. “Figured you an’ the baby deserved it.”

She flushed scarlet. Free _and_ suddenly wealthy. Eggsy, Harry, and Merlin… they were like… princes out of a child’s story. “What about you?” she asked softly.

“I make good money now, mum. You need it more’n I do.”

Harry squeezed the back of Eggsy’s neck. “I would think you have enough to buy a stronghold of your own, if you were interested in such, and I happen to know that Basileus’ is available, if… not on the market.”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, I checked the prices to see what kinda money I’ll need. I ain’t got _that_ kinda money.”

Harry eyed him askance. “Were you looking at _standard_ prices or prices reserved for _Sith_?”

“I… I guess standard prices. I didn’t know Sith had _special_ ones.”

“Sith are encouraged to have a home in Kaas City,” Harry explained. “Aside from it being the Seat of the Empire and, therefore, a desirable place to have a decent showing of Sith, there is the law against killing a Sith within the city. It helps keep our numbers from dropping every time two Sith have a disagreement.”

Eggsy grinned after a moment. “So… I could take Basileus’ old place, huh?”

Harry nodded. “It has already been cleared out.”

“I bet he’d just _love_ my livin’ there.” He paused. “You sure I got the money for it?”

“Oh, yes. I am _quite_ certain.”

He nodded toward Michelle. “We’ll take it, then. Mum can make it look beautiful and Daisy can have a room when she comes home. We can… be a family.”

Michelle eyed Harry for a moment and then looked at Eggsy. She’d figured out, well before they’d gotten to Dromund Kaas, that her son and the other two Sith were… together… at least in some fashion. And yet, Harry was encouraging him to move out. She wondered if it was just for her, or because he assumed Eggsy would have left to stay with her anyway. Or if he was just… giving his permission. She didn’t ask.

The taxi turned and started to descend onto Harry’s landing platform. Michelle tensed and made a softly panicked sound. Eggsy was instantly on alert and looked outside… but he didn’t see anything unusual.

“What is _that_?” she whispered, pointing out the window.

Eggsy followed where she was pointing and then laughed softly. “That’s JB, my dog.”

“How is _that _a _dog_?” She looked over at him. “He won’t bite Rose, will he?”

“It’s a Sith hound,” he said with a grin. “And he won’t bite her, no. Tuk’ata like Force users, and he ain’t never attacked someone I ain’t said to.”

She relaxed with a sigh. If he said the… ‘dog’... was safe, then it was safe. Still, she stayed close to Eggsy when the exited the taxi. But the ‘dog’ realized he was there and it’s hooked tail started wagging rapidly. And then it charged. 

Michelle fell back with a cry, turning to shield Rose from the animal. And then she heard Eggsy ‘oof’ and heard him hit the ground. She looked over, hesitantly, and JB had his front paws on Eggsy’s shoulders was licking his face with its pointed tongue.

“Get off me,” he commanded after a few moments. JB moved off of him and then danced on his forelegs. “Yeah, missed you, too.” He shot lightning at it; it snapped at the lightning, eating some of it and just absorbing the rest. “Suck up,” he griped at it and then scratched its mane.

Michelle took a hesitant step closer to Eggsy. The dog looked over at her, sniffed the air, and turned its attention back to Eggsy. She moved slowly until she was just at his side. JB turned its attention to her and then sniffed at her again, and then the little human.

“That’s my mum and my sister,” Eggsy told it. “Anyone fucks with them, you kill ‘em.”

“Does it understand Basic?”

Eggsy shrugged. “I don’t think so, but they were bred to protect tombs. Can’t see protecting humans being much different to him.”

He took her inside, JB running ahead of them. The stronghold’s droid was waiting, a mop in hand, and started cleaning up once JB shook himself off. JB had already gone into the stronghold proper, leaving wet paw prints in his wake.

“Welcome home, Masters. I have little to report.” It paused. “I was, however, forced to gag your prisoner, Master Protervitas. He would not stop yelling.”

Eggsy smiled slowly. “Oh? Doesn’t enjoy being restrained? At someone else’s mercy?” He laughed softly, darkly. “I’m going to have _so_ much fun with him.”

“Dean…?”

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “I won’t do anything to him until we’ve got a place. No reason you need to hear it.”

“I want to see him,” she said after a minute.

“If you want, mum.” He paused. “You want Harry an’ Merlin to look after Rose?”

She clutched Rose tightly, let out a shuddery breath, and then nodded. “They’ll give her back,” she said softly.

“Yes, they _will_,” Eggsy said.

She smiled at him, at how protective he was of her and his sister. She kissed Rose’s forehead and then handed her over to Harry. She was very clearly loath to let Rose out of her sight, but she trusted Eggsy, and after a moment, she nodded to him; he led her into the training arena.


	43. Chapter 43

Michelle waited in the training arena while Eggsy moved the restraint table into the room. She kept reminding herself that Dean was restrained and she was with Eggsy. She watched as the restraint table floated into the room and set down, none too gently. Eggsy had taken the gag off of Dean and she could see the fear in his eyes.

Eggsy watched her for a moment. He could feel her hatred, her fear. “Don’t force it down.”

She blinked and shook her head. “I don’t…”

“The anger, the fear, the rage. Don’t force it down. Feel it; let it fill you.”

She shrugged. “Baby, I’m not Sith.”

He nodded. “I know.” He walked over to her, around her, and gently nudged her toward Dean. “Just do as I say, mum.”

She watched him for a moment and then nodded. “Alright.”

She looked back at Dean. She was terrified of him, and so _angry_ with him. She’d had to repress the anger for so long that it was hard to not force it down. But it was there, and it had been festering for so long that once she touched it, it was hard to _not_ let it fill her.

“Good,” Eggsy said softly, feeling the rage within her. “Now strike him.”

She hesitated, but then she felt Eggsy’s hand between her shoulders, gently pressing her forward. She stepped forward, raised her hand, and then… _couldn’t_. It was too ingrained in her that attacking a free person could get her killed.

“He tore your children from you, one by one,” Eggsy said quietly, darkly. “He tried to make you choose between us. Do you remember that he already had a buyer coming for me? He always intended for it to be me, but he wanted you to have the _guilt_ of it.” He could hear her breath coming hard and rapidly. “This is a man who beat and raped you for _twenty_ years, and yet you hesitate to strike him.”

She cried out and struck him. Eggsy watched as she slapped him; watched as her hands clenched into fists; watched as she started punching, crying with each hit. He felt the Darkness inside of her, felt her giving in to it. And, beneath the pain she was getting out, beneath the tears, he felt her _enjoying_ it.

She was panting when she stopped, and she pressed her face against Eggsy’s chest. She thought she might start sobbing, but her tears quickly dried. She’d learned what Eggsy had the first time he’d used lightning on Dean; that it felt _good_ to make the bastard hurt. She found herself wanting to make him hurt _more_.

“I want to stay,” she said, so quietly and shyly that Eggsy wasn’t certain he’d heard her properly.

“While I _torture _him?”

“Mmhmm. Only if it’s alright.”

He made her look up at him. “If it gets to be too much for you, leave. You aren’t Sith, and I wouldn’t expect you to act like one.” He paused. “But know that if you _do_ stay, I will be very pleased.”

Harry’s words… coming out of his mouth. But the thing was, Eggsy knew it would work. He knew it would make her want to push herself harder. It was manipulative, and he knew it; and he was fine with it.

She nodded and stepped back from him. She wanted him to be happy with her; she wanted him to be pleased. She didn’t have the same yen for praise that he did, however. It was simply that his opinion mattered to her. His… and only his.

Eggsy turned toward Dean and smiled slowly. How many times had he daydreamed about being the one to torture Dean? How many beatings had he taken, wishing he could return the favor? How often had he thought about the night the power within him had awakened and he’d left Dean screaming?

He held his hand out and shot lightning at Dean. It was a short burst; no longer than Dean had normally shocked _him_ for. The scream it elicited from his former owner brought a soft sigh to his lips.

“Who did you sell her to?”

“I told you! I don’t know!”

Eggsy laughed softly and shot lightning at him again; he held it longer this time. He lowered his hand after and took a couple steps, slowly working his way around Dean. “You see, that’s where I have trouble with this, Dean.” He shocked him again as he moved, stopping - both the lightning and his movements - when he was at the head of the restraint table. “I know how well you kept records. It was… the _one_ thing you were any good at.”

“I swear, Eg-”

Eggsy cut him off before he could finish. This time he choked Dean. He listened to the man’s useless gasps for breath as he worked his way around to the side of the table. “What did I tell you… the _last_ time you called me that?” he asked as he released Dean.

Dean coughed and panted. “Lord… Lord Protervitas.”

“Better. Now go on.”

“I don’t know his name.”

Eggsy shot him with lightning again. “Dean, Dean, Dean… work with me here. You want me to stop hurting you, right? Tell me what I want to know, and _this _will stop.”

“You’re lyin’.”

Eggsy shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He touched the restraint table and sent a shock through it. “So you can tell me and this can stop… or I can keep this up until you pass out from it.”

“I really… don’t know his name,” he said.

Eggsy held his hand up.

“But! But I know his ship! It’s the _Blue Nova_!”

Eggsy smiled. “There. Was that so difficult?”

Dean shook his head. “No, not at all, my Lord. And, and it’s right merciful of you to let me go.”

Eggsy laughed. “Let you go? When did I agree to that?”

“You… you said you’d stop…”

Eggsy nodded. “Mmhmm. And you’ll go in the kolto tank to heal until our next session.” His smile turned cold. “As I said, _this_ is stopping. This session.” He looked over at Michelle. “Go and tell Merlin to get me what he can on the _Blue Nova_.”

She left and Eggsy brought the restraint table back into the cell. He Force lifted Dean and held him still while he put the breathing mask and restraints on him. He dumped Dean in the tank, sealed it, and set it to heal him. He watched as Dean struggled in the tank, trying desperately to get his hands free. It was always nice when his victims had some fight in them. He was going to _enjoy_ breaking Dean.


	44. Chapter 44

It had been the better part of a month. They’d been living in their stronghold for five weeks now. Eggsy spent part of the time training, part of the time torturing Dean, and alternated nights staying in one place or the other. Michelle had a few of the rooms nicely decorated already, even if Eggsy’d had to tell her to decorate it with the opulence a Sith Lord and his mother deserved.

There was a bedroom for each of them, and one set up for Daisy for when Eggsy brought her home. She had a kitchen set up and Eggsy had requisitioned them a pair of droids and then had bought a third. The two he requisitioned were servant droids; Cici (3S-CC) was programmed mainly for cooking and keeping house, and Sorrel (3S-RL) was mainly to help Michelle out. The one he’d bought was a child care droid.

While it _was_ programmed to do all manner of child care if Michelle wanted, that hadn’t been Eggsy’s reason for purchasing it. Cadmus (C4-DM) was programmed mainly for protection. If something happened, it was programmed to protect Rose and Michelle at all costs. During the day, it stayed near Rose at all times; at night, it patrolled the stronghold. 

Eggsy had been sent offworld for several days to see to something for Harry. Michelle had taken advantage of that to have Harry help her decorate a meditation chamber for Eggsy. It was one room she didn’t need to be reminded to decorate richly; there was little choice in the matter.

Her current project was getting their lounge fully decorated. She and Eggsy were curled up on the sofa together, going through the listings of wall terminals. Neither of them had ever spent much time watching the network, but now they could; Michelle, especially, would have the time for it. 

They heard the door chime and, a few moments later, Sorrel was showing Merlin in. Merlin had a data pad with him and Eggsy went over to him. Merlin handed the data pad over to him.

“I think I may have found her,” he said. “It’s taken longer than I would have liked.”

Eggsy shrugged. “She’s been gone for ten years, mate.”

He nodded. “The captain of the _Blue Nova_, a trandoshan by the name of Dhissyn, tends to travel through Hutt space, and down to the far reaches of the Outer Rim. From what I can tell he records his cargo in four categories: five and under, six to nine, ten to sixteen, sixteen plus.”

Eggsy sighed and nodded. The categories made sense to him. Slaves under ten could be trained easier, with the ones under five needing more care. At ten, well, the more reputable slave owners didn’t whore out their slaves before then. And then, adulthood.

“He had a number of sales in his ‘five and under’ category those first five years. Once it was the sixth year, the possibilities rose by quite a bit.”

“Yeah… figures it would.”

“I looked into his sales for the past two decades. He never keeps a slave, child or adult, for more than five years.”

“Kills ‘em?”

“Some of them,” Merlin nodded. “The ones that are of age he takes to Kessel and sells very cheaply.”

Eggsy nodded. That meant if no one had bought Daisy, she was dead.

“His records were… less thorough than I would have liked, but I was able to eliminate sales based on sex, species, and skin color. After checking the scans of the ones sold on Imperial planets, I was left with four children and one… group.”

Eggsy sighed. “That’s better than whatever the number was. Where’re they? I’ll go after each one and see if I can’t find her.”

Merlin hit a button on the data pad and it pulled up the list. “I would suggest trying Tatooine first.”

“Why?”

“Aside from being the farthest planet on the list, one of his contacts on Tatooine only buys children five and under. Several times, the contact has bought Dhissyn’s entire stock.”

Eggsy nodded. “So if he didn’t sell her between Kafane and Tatooine, she’d be there. I’ll just have to figure out who he sold the children to and then… limit them out.”

“Exactly.” He paused. “I’ve already alerted Harry. He’s given you leave to go. If he needs an apprentice to do something, he’ll use me.”

Eggsy grinned. Merlin sounded pleased at that. “Then I’ll leave soon as my ship’s ready.” He looked at Michelle. “I want you to stay with Harry an’ Merlin while I’m gone.”

“Of course,” she said softly. If he hadn’t said it, she would have asked. She didn’t mind being alone for a night, or a couple days, but longer than that? She wasn’t ready for that just yet, and she had no idea how long it would take him to go through all of the children. “Harry’s alright with that?”

Eggsy scoffed. “If he ain’t expectin’ that, he’s a fool.” He smiled gently. “And I know Harry ain’t a fool.”

She nodded. “Then… I’ll get some things together.”

It was hours before his ship was ready. It wasn’t just getting it fueled; he was going to need supplies as he traveled. And, well, he also ordered a bunch of clothing for Daisy. Since he’d had no clue how tall she was and if she preferred dresses or not, he had to get a variety. 

He got Michelle and Rose settled in at Harry’s stronghold, setting them up in his room there. Not that… he really _used_ his own room most of the time. He liked sleeping between Harry and Merlin, even if there wasn’t any fucking involved. Or between Merlin and Tilde, if she’d joined them (and there was _always_ fucking involved if she did).

Once his ship was ready, he made sure his mother had everything she needed. Harry gave him a deep and lingering kiss - and in sight of Michelle - before he left. He took the lift down to street level, JB beside him. He took his speeder to the docking bay, JB following him at a run. Once they were on board, he had the droid set course for Tatooine, and for Daisy.


	45. Chapter 45

Eggsy wore more onto Tatooine than he normally wore. He wore a silk under robe, an entire silk outer robe, and a silk cloak. He knew that, of the materials he wore, silk breathed the best, and Tatooine was a desert planet.

The docking bay was in what must have passed for a city on the sparely populated planet. Mos Ila had started out as a trading post, and then the Empire had taken over the area. They’d taken the few white stone buildings and added a few dozen more. Some of the locals still had their tent stalls and a couple galactic corporations had set up shop. Still, there was no hiding what a shithole it was.

Twin suns beat down on the planet and Eggsy pulled his hood up to shield his eyes. Beige sand stretched out as far as he could see. He knew if he traveled far enough across that seemingly endless sand, he’d come to a cliff side, with a passage leading through it. It would take him to an area known as the Jundland Wastes.

JB ran out ahead of him and circled back. He let out a happy little howl at being back in the desert, even if this desert was hotter. He dug a bit in the sand, flopped down, and rolled in it. He got up and shook himself off, sending sand flying, and then barked impatiently at Eggsy.

Eggsy laughed softly.“Yeah? Tell me that in a couple days after we’ve been runnin’ around in this shit.”

He started off toward the cliffs on his speeder, JB following behind him. He kept an eye out for a species of locals known as Sand People. He knew they were nomadic and kinda primitive and basically human sized. He _also_ knew that they were fiercely protective of their people and would attack anyone who came too close to a group or a settlement.

He saw no Sand People, but every so often, a womp rat would burst out of the sand at him. Instead of stopping to bother with them, Eggsy would just veer off to the side and let JB take care of them. They became quick, juicy snacks for the hound, and they were the only things that bothered them on the way to Outpost Varath

He parked outside of the cantina and left JB with his speeder. According to Merlin’s information, one of Dhissyn’s contacts frequented this establishment. He went inside and up to the bar, tossing a handful of credits on the counter. The bartender eyed him, the lightsaber at his side, and the credits.

“That,” Eggsy said, pointing at one of the taps. He had no idea what the fuck he was ordering, but it was bright gold in color.

The bartender got him what he’d asked for and picked up some of the credits. “‘s the rest for?”

“Looking for someone. A rattataki woman named Eredji.”

The bartender eyed the credits again and then scoffed. “You think that’s enough?”

Eggsy took a sip of his drink and said nothing for a moment. “I _think_, were I you, I would take the credits, tell the Sith what he wants to know, and thank the stars he didn’t kill me for asking stupid questions,” Eggsy said coldly.

The bartender considered that and then took the rest of the credits. “She comes in once a day. She used to work south of Anchorhead, but then the Republic showed up.”

“Yes, and they _do_ tend to take a dim view of slavers.” It was _one_ thing he agreed with the Republic about. “Has she been in today?”

The bartender shook his head. “Ought to be in within an hour.”

“Wonderful,” Eggsy said.

He took his drink to a table to wait. The bartender wasn’t far off; she showed up in just over an hour. Eggsy eyed her as she approached the bar. She was a big woman, tall and muscular. Her skin was pale grey and she was hairless. She had black tattoos on her head and wore a septum ring. She had twin blasters at her sides and her armor looked worn and used.

He waited for her to order a drink and approached her. “Eredji,” he motioned to the table. “Let’s talk business.”

She eyed him; his black robes, his lightsaber. “Mmm, a Sith came all the way to Tatooine for slaves,” she let out a sultry laugh. “Alright, let’s talk.”

He went over to the table with her and let her start on her drink. “I’m looking for a slave you may have bought from a trandoshan named Dhissyn.”

She laughed again; that same low, sultry laugh. “I buy a _lot _of slaves from him, Sith.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I know. What do you do with them?”

She shrugged. “Resell them… moisture farmers, gangsters, perverts.”

His eyes hardened at the last word. “This may have been about ten years ago. The child would have been an infant.”

“That young…” She shrugged. “Gangsters like ‘em a little older than that. So do perverts, generally.” She sighed thoughtfully. “Ten years ago… There’s a bunch of moisture farms between here and Mos Eisley.” She grinned. “You should stop by there. A Sith could have a _good _time in that place.”

“I might, if I don’t find what I’m looking for.”

“Let me see your navcom.” She took it from him and input sets of coordinates. “Those’re the farms I’ve been selling to for years now. They’re good business. Buy a kid, train it up, work it to death, buy another one.”

He took his navcom back. “Thanks,” he said coldly. His hand snapped up and closed into a fist. He watched as she struggled for breath. “You… had better hope… that I find her _alive_ at one of the farms; not _dead_, not with one of your _perverts_. Because if I _do_? I’ll be back for your head.”

He released her and left her be. He went out to JB and his speeder before taking off for the moisture farms. Stars grant that slaver mercy if he didn’t find Daisy for he would grant her none.


	46. Chapter 46

He’d been to six of the farms, with no luck, and was quickly running out of patience. He pulled up to one of the water tanks of the seventh farm and pried it open. JB stuck his head in and started sucking the water down.

“Hey! Hey, stop!” a girl’s voice came from behind him.

He turned around to see a twi’lek who might have been in her teens and wearing a shock collar. “He’s just gettin’ a drink.”

“Yeah? And I’ll _just _get a beating for letting him.”

He nodded and nudged JB. The tuk’ata whined at having to stop drinking the water. He crouched to seal the tank again, unintentionally pushing his cloak back enough for her to see his lightsaber.

“Are you a Jedi?”

He laughed. “_Fuck_ no.” He looked over at her. “What in fuck makes you think I’m a _Jedi_?”

“Well…” She shrugged and looked away uncomfortable. “I told you I’d get beat, and you stopped him so I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, not very Sith of me.” He stood back up and shrugged. “Where’re your owners?”

She nodded toward a hole in the ground. It wasn’t really a ‘hole’, exactly. Moisture farmers tended to not live on the surface. Instead, they dug down a few levels and build their homes under the sands. The cleared out hole served almost as a gathering area. It was lined with stones to keep it from filling in and there were two sets of stairs following the curve of it.

Eggsy sighed. It figured they’d be down in a cooler home. “Thanks.”

He looked at JB and nodded toward the homestead. He leapt over the side, using the Force to soften his landing; he was tired of doing fucking stairs. JB followed suit, found a patch of shade, and curled up. Eggsy went to the door and pressed the chime.

A human woman in her thirties answered; she had a shock collar on. She looked at him, looked at the lightsaber, and then smiled hesitantly. “Can I… help you?”

“Yes. You can invite me inside and get me some water. While I enjoy that, you’ll go get me your masters.”

She looked uncertain but stepped back. “Of course, my Lord.”

Eggsy sighed once he was inside. It was so much cooler in the house. The woman got him the water and he waited while she went after her masters. She returned with a pair of humans; they looked to be somewhere in their low 40s.

“What can we do for a Sith?” the male asked.

“I’m looking for a slave who was illegally sold.”

He shook his head. “We bought all of ours legally.”

Eggsy nodded slowly. “Yes, but that slave may have been sold to the rattataki you bought it from illegally.”

He crossed his arms. “Well, that ain’t on us.”

“No, and that’s why, if you round up all the slaves who match this one’s description and let me check, no harm will come to you.” He smiled mirthlessly. “But I’ve been doing this all day and I’m out of patience. So if I have to _force_ the issue…”

The slave owners exchanged a look and then the man went to a terminal. He punched in an access code and summoned all of the slaves. “If this slave is one of ours, I expect to be properly compensated. I pay good money for them.”

“Yes, yes,” Eggsy said wearily. “The Empire is gracious and will compensate you.”

Twenty slaves quickly came into the house. Most of them were dirty from sweating and burned from the suns. A couple of the women were carrying small children, clearly the slave owners newest purchases. There was only a handful of children, but…

Eggsy tipped his head slightly. One of the slaves was Force sensitive; he could _feel_ it.

He went over to the slaves, moving among them as he sought out that one. He barely looked at the slaves, letting his senses guide him. He reached the one he was sensing, and found himself looking at a little girl. She looked all of eight, although he supposed she could have been older and small for her age. She was dirty and her sun-bleached hair was up in a messy tail. She had tan lines on her face from where she kept herself covered up in the sun.

“Come here,” he told her and went to where he’d left the glass. He summoned it to himself and then held it up. “Take it from me. Without moving.”

He saw her look at her owners, saw the fear in her eyes. He shifted his eyes to _them_ and saw the threat in _their_ eyes. That told him enough; that they knew she was a Force sensitive and that they beat her for using it. He was _well_ outside of Imperial space and, therefore, the law about turning Force sensitives over to the academy didn’t apply.

“Take it,” he repeated, his words now a command. “And I’ll take _you_ out of here, too.” He set it down and knelt beside her. He leaned close enough to whisper to her. “You’ll learn to do the things Sith can do, and then, once you’re an apprentice to a Lord or a Darth, you’ll be able to come back here. And then you can punish _them_ for what they did to you.”

She stared up at him with wide eyes, cast a glance at her masters, and then looked at him again. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him, but… taking a chance at getting away was better than not. She summoned the glass to herself and then held it up shyly to Eggsy, who grinned at her.

“Yeah, did it for me, too.” He winked at her and stood. “You’ll be compensated.”

The woman scoffed. “We had _better_ be. The money we paid for _that_ lazy creature…” She sighed irritably.

Eggsy attempted to focus on the calm within himself before he killed both slave owners. He took out a small device from inside his robes. “Alright, here’s what we gonna do. Little girls’re gonna come over here. One at a time, you’re gonna stick your fingertip inside this. You’ll feel a little prick and then it’ll make a noise, probably a fuckin’ buzz. That’s all I’ll need from you. If it chimes, you’re who I’m looking for and you’ll be comin’ with me.”

They came one-by-one; each of them stuck her fingertip inside the device, a hopeful look on her face. Each time, the device buzzed and the little girl walked away, looking crestfallen. The only one left was the little Force sensitive. Eggsy shrugged and held it out to her.

“Ain’t gonna be you, but…” 

She put her finger in the device. She was already goin’ with him, already gonna be a _Sith_, so it didn’t matter if it buzzed. She really hoped it _would_, cos she wasn’t sure what it would mean if it chimed. Would he have to take her back to whoever she was stolen from? Or could she still go be a Sith?

It chimed and Eggsy, having been expecting it to buzz, stared at it. The readout displayed a simple message: mitochondrial DNA, 100% match. He looked from it to the little girl. Sure, it was _possible_ that this wasn’t Daisy. That this was… someone else maternally related to him. But she was the right age.

“Well… guess you was comin’ with me no matter what.”

The man glared at him. “I know for a _fact_ she wasn’t illegally sold.”

Eggsy looked at him coolly. He already felt protective of her; of his so-long missing little sister. “That so?”

“That bitch’s parents sold her.”

Eggsy sighed, looked down for a moment, and then nodded. “Yeah, her father did. Her mum was his slave, though, so… ain’t like she had a say in it.”

He frowned. “If you know that… then why the deception?”

Eggsy smiled coldly. “People are so much more agreeable when you tell them they _might_ have purchased stolen property and they’ll be compensated if so. Cos otherwise, I might get authorities involved or what-have-you, and the Empire will, of course, remember that you returned their citizen’s property once you learned that it was stolen.”

“Well, she _isn’t_ stolen and this _isn’t_ Imperial space, and if _you_ steal her, so help me…”

“You’ll what? Tell whatever passes for a government on this rock that a Sith came and stole your slave away? Go to the Imperial outpost and tell _them_?” He shook his head. “You know… I actually _was_ going to compensate you. I was _going_ to allow you to continue living.” He held his hand out and looked down at his little sister. “Very sorry. Seems you _won’t_ be coming back here to kill them after all.”

She grinned up at him. “I don’t mind.”

He laughed; she was going to make a _fine_ Sith. He shot lightning at the two owners. Eggsy cast a glance over at the slaves. He had their undivided attention. He didn’t blame them. How often had _they_ been shocked as punishment?

He lowered his hand once they were dead and went to the terminal he’d seen the man use. He took a dataspike out of his robes; Merlin had preprogrammed it just for such an occasion. He watched as the terminal unlocked, the passcode cleared out, and the slave collars deactivated.

“Come on, then,” he said, holding his hand out to his sister.

“What do you plan to do about us…?”

He looked at the slaves. “Well… I guess you could keep working the farm. Or you could ransack this place, grab whatever you can find, and get the fuck off this rock. I already did all I ‘plan’ to about you.” He shrugged. “Not everyone in the Empire is so pro-slavery, alright?”

He took his sister outside and got her on the speeder. He’d have to check out Mos Eisley _another_ time.


	47. Chapter 47

“Dress or trousers?”

She shook her head and shrugged. “I dunno.” She paused, eying him shyly. “I never get to wear dresses.” She bit her lip. “Can I wear one like yours?”

Eggsy laughed as he went through the clothing he’d gotten her. “It’s a robe. There’s a fine distinction there somewhere.” He found one that he thought would fit her. “And really, it’s more of a top and skirt than a dress.”

She looked up at the dress. It was a soft shade of pink. There weren’t pink things on Tatooine. Everything was either beige or sun-bleached. “It’s pretty.”

“First though, you’re gonna need a bath.”

She stared at him uncertainly. “What’s a… bath?”

He nodded to himself. The most she was probably used to was a wet cloth. “I’ll show you.” He took her into the bathroom. “This is a tub; you take a bath in it. That’s for cleaning your skin, that’s for cleaning your hair.”

“Okay…”

He grinned at her and turned the tap on. He watched her eyes get _wide_ at all the water just pouring out. He tested the temp and then stoppered the tub. “Now… you let that get pretty full, and you strip down and get in.”

“In all that water?” she whispered, awed.

“Yep, in all that water.” He stood up and got her a towel. “To dry yourself off with when you’re done. And…” he paused. “You can take as _long_ as you want. If the water gets too cold, just drain it and fill it up again.” Eggsy tried not to laugh at how wide her eyes got at _that _suggestion. He headed out of the bathroom, mussing her hair as he passed by her. “I’ll be out in the lounge if you need me.”

He stopped outside of the bathroom. It was only a few moments before he heard a _splash_ from inside and his sister start giggling. He went into the cockpit and eyed the navigation display. He knew the droid had set course for Dromund Kaas, but he still liked to check the nav display.

“Could you add a stopover to refuel?”

The droid looked up at him. “Certainly, master, although it is unnecessary. We have enough fuel to return to Dromund Kaas.”

He nodded. “Yeah, but it’s quite a bit colder in here than on Tatooine. Gonna turn the heat up so we don’t freeze her out.”

“Oh! Of course, master. I’ll bring us out of hyperspace at the next jump point and plot a new course.”

“Thanks.” He started to leave and then stopped. “Oh, and one more thing? When she’s done in the bath, it’s probably gonna need to be mopped up.”

“I will see to it, master.”

“Thank you.”

He went back into the lounge and turned the heat up enough so that she should be alright and he wouldn’t roast. He went into the storage room and got out a couple blankets, just in case she was still cold, and a brush. And then he went to the communications center and had it dial Harry. He was on the other side of the galaxy from Dromund Kaas; the message would be recorded and relayed.

“Master,” he said with a bow, “I’ll contact you again when we’re close enough that I don’t have to send a recording. I’ve completed my mission, although there has been a slight… complication that I need to speak with you about. Baring any other complications, I should be home in about a week.” He bowed again and had it send.

He grabbed a data pad - Harry had insisted he take a few to keep studying while gone - and lay back on the sofa to read. It was a few minutes before the droid came out and told him their new course. And then it was a good hour before Daisy came out of the bathroom.

She was wrapped up in the towel, and still a bit wet. She looked around nervously but didn’t see Eggsy. “Mister Sith…?”

Eggsy sat up and looked over at her. He laughed softly. “Never did tell you my name, did I?”

She shook her head. “No…”

“It’s Eggsy,” he got up and went over to her. “What’s wrong?”

She looked down. “I got water everywhere.”

He laughed softly. “I expected that. It’s alright. Already asked the droid to mop it up.”

She looked up at him shyly. “It’s really okay?”

He nodded. “It’s perfectly okay. Go get dried off and dressed.”

She nodded and went back into the bathroom. The next time she came out, she was in the pink dress. She went over to where Eggsy was sitting. “Do I look okay, Mister Eggsy?”

“You look lovely, but you don’t need to call me ‘mister’. Just Eggsy.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Is it alright if I brush your hair?”

She giggled shyly and then nodded. He pat the sofa beside him and turned sideways. She got up on the sofa and he started brushing her hair. He went gently, trying to work out the knots and snarls with at little pain for her as possible.

“You know,” he said after a few moments. “I never asked _your_ name, either.”

She shrugged. “They always called me ‘fifteen’.”

He faltered and then continued brushing her hair. “Why ‘fifteen’?”

“Cos that’s who I replaced. They never gave us, um… people names, I guess. Just the number slave we were.”

Eggsy felt rage surging inside himself. Clearly, he’d killed those people too quickly. He had to swallow it down for now. He didn’t want to scare her; he didn’t want her thinking _she’d_ done something wrong. He’d just… take it out on the training dummy later.

“Well… you _have_ a people name.”

She turned to look at him. “I do? What is it?”

“It’s Daisy. It’s a type of flower.”

She smiled a little. “Daisy.” She giggled. “I like it a _lot_ better than ‘fifteen’.”

He stroked her cheek. “You know, your mum… she never wanted you to be sold.”

She shrugged and turned back around. “You don’t know that,” she said sulkily. 

“Yeah, I do.”

She turned back to him, a clear challenge in her eyes. “Yeah? How? How d’you know?”

He pushed his hood back and let her see the slave brand. “Cos your father owned me, too. I was there the day he ripped you from your mum’s arms. I heard her screaming and I thought he was beatin’ on her again. He used shock collars on us, too, and had a security system set up so we could only go up into his suite if he let us.” He paused and sighed softly. “I saw what he was doin’ and tried to run through the field. Couldn’t do it. Passed out from the pain and he never told us what he did with you.”

She watched him suspiciously. “How come you tried to stop him?”

“Cos… cos she’s _my_ mum, too. You’re my little sister. ‘s why I was lookin’ for you.”

“Are you taking me back to him?”

Eggsy frowned a little. “Who, Dean? Fuck no. You’re comin’ to Dromund Kaas to live with me, mum, and our little sister, Rose.”

“And your owner…?”

He laughed softly and stroked her cheek. “We ain’t got owners, baby.”

She beamed at him. “Really?”

“Really, really.” He smiled at her. “I think you’ll like Dromund Kaas. It’s hot, but not as hot as Tatooine. And it’s _green_. Grass everywhere, and _huge_ trees. There’s even green cats.”

She giggled. “You’re not serious.”

“No, I’m totally serious. And it rains there, almost all 312 days a local year.”

She frowned at him. “What’s rain?”

He grinned. “It’s when water falls from the sky.”

Her eyes got _wiiide_. “And I’m gonna _live_ there?”

“That’s right, baby. We’ll be there in about a week.”

He summoned the blanket and wrapped it around her. She wasn’t an Imperial citizen, so _technically_ the law to send her to Korriban didn’t apply to her. There was also an older tradition, one from before the war, of a Master choosing their own apprentice and training them from the beginning. It was something Harry had insisted he learn. Maybe, if he could talk the Dark Council into it, he could train her himself. Because he really didn’t want to turn her over to Korriban until her time to take the trials came. Not when he’d just gotten her back.


	48. Chapter 48

Harry met them in the docking bay. Eggsy, dressed again in velvet and leather, walked down the ramp ahead of Daisy. She was in another of the dresses Eggsy had gotten her, and this one looked more like a robe. She’d been looking up at the ceiling as they walked, listening to a sound she’d never heard before. She was about to ask Eggsy what it was when she saw Harry. She shrank behind Eggsy and clutched his cloak.

“‘s alright,” he said softly. “Harry’s a friend.”

She peeked out from behind him. “He looks scary,” she whispered.

Eggsy stroked her hair. “Yeah, he can _be_ scary when he wants to be. But you ain’t gotta worry.”

“You were supposed to be meeting with the Council five minutes ago,” Harry chided.

“Sorry, had a slight… wardrobe malfunction.”

Harry’s brow rose. “And what was it?”

“Sand. All through my fucking robe.”

Harry laughed softly. “Darling, _why_ were you wearing leather and velvet on _Tatooine_?”

“That’s just it; I _wasn’t_.”

Harry hummed softly, amused. “Well, it _does_ tend to get everywhere, my dear.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes. “I know for next time.”

“Come along,” Harry said, ushering Eggsy toward the exit.

Daisy followed behind Eggsy, and was very delighted to learn that the noise was the water coming from the sky. She wanted to run into it and play in it. But she knew it had to wait. Eggsy had something Big and Important to go to.

They got into a taxi and Daisy _stared_ up through the sunroof and watched the rain splash against it. There was so much water _everywhere_. She’d never dreamed there was that much water in the galaxy. There was so much that she could take a bath _every day_ if she wanted. She wouldn’t tell him as much, but that was _more_ amazing than having a brother.

They got to the Sanctum and Harry hurried them into the Council chamber. Eggsy had Daisy wait by the door and went to the center of the hexagon. He waited until Harry took his place before speaking.

“I apologize for my tardiness, my Lords,” he said with a bow. “I assure you, it was unintentional.”

“Darth Vindicta tells us you have an odd request regarding a discovered Force sensitive,” Darth Marr said.

“Yes, my Lord. She’s not an Imperial citizen; she’s from Tatooine. As such, the law requiring her to go to the Sith Academy doesn’t apply to her.”

Darth Nox hummed. “He’s right. As long as she remains living outside of the Empire’s borders, it does not apply to her.”

Eggsy nodded. “Darth Vindicta felt that it was important to teach me Sith traditions, as so many of them seem to be falling by the wayside. There’s one tradition from well before the Treaty of Coruscant where a Master would choose their own apprentice.”

“Yes,” one of the human male Darths said. “The apprentice was chosen, occasionally in childhood, and learned their Master’s techniques. Although, if we’re going by _tradition_, the child in question needs to perform an act of loyalty or cruelty to prove their worth.”

“Darth Howl is quite correct,” Marr said. “Has this child performed such an act?”

Eggsy had a feeling that watching him torture her owners to death didn’t count. He held up a finger. “Moment, if I could?”

Marr sighed irritably and nodded.

Eggsy went over to Daisy and knelt beside her. “You heard them. Whatchu think?”

She shrugged. “What would I have to do?”

Eggsy thought about it for a moment and then smiled slowly. “So… you can’t go back and kill your owners… but… once you learn how to use lightning, wanna help me play with your father?”

Her eyes widened for a moment and then she grinned. “Yeah! I wanna help!”

He grinned at her and went back to the Council. “Not as of yet, but… once she’s learned how to use lightning, she will be assisting me in torturing her father. Does that satisfy?”

“Traditionally, the apprentice performs their act _before_ they are chosen.” Darth Howl hummed thoughtfully. “Her father, you say? And you plan on killing him?”

Eggsy shrugged. “Eventually, when I get tired of him or the kolto tank can’t heal him anymore.”

“You, girl,” Darth Howl motioned for Daisy to join them.

She shyly walked to Eggsy’s side and imitated his bow. “Yes, my Lord?”

“You’re willing to torture your own father?”

“Yep!” was her all too cheerful reply.

“Why?”

She blinked at him and then looked up at Eggsy, her confusion clear on her face. She looked back at Darth Howl after a moment. “It’s not enough that I really, _really_ hate him?”

“No, that is… certainly a sufficient reason for a Sith.” Darth Howl considered for a few moments. “As this sounds like this act will be performed on more than one occasion, I would accept it as an appropriate act of cruelty. The girl seems willing to be bound to Lord Protervitas.”

Darth Zhorrid eyed Eggsy for a moment. “A Master is _traditionally_ supposed to train their apprentice in their own techniques. Why do you think _yours_ is so important? What can _you_ bring to us that someone _else_ couldn’t?”

“Darth Zhorrid has a point,” Darth Marr admitted grudgingly.

Eggsy bit back a grin. He could all but _hear_ the ‘for once’ in Marr’s voice. He looked at Zhorrid for a moment, considering how best to answer her. “I could demonstrate, if it would please you.”

She smirked. _Finally_, they were showing her the respect she _deserved_. “Demonstrate your technique.”

Eggsy held his hand out to her. Purple smoke rose around her and then trails of her life force floated to Eggsy. He took just enough for his eyes to change color briefly and then released her. He said nothing for a moment; he simply looked from Darth to Darth as Zhorrid shrieked at him.

“My Master has kept a close eye on my mental state as I have grown more powerful with these abilities. To my knowledge, he has yet to notice any problems.”

“He is correct,” Harry said. “He has been using these abilities almost as long as he’s been my apprentice. There was one battle where he sapped… more than either of us had expected… from an enemy.” He paused. “I was certain he was lost to the Madness. Less than an hour later, he was perfectly normal again. There has been _no _deterioration of his mental state.”

“First an ex-slave becomes the first Force Walker in generations, and then one becomes a Madness Sorcerer who is capable of resisting the very madness he wields,” Darth Nox drawled, her eyes on Darth Ravage. He had opposed her rise to the Dark Council.

“There is _no_ denying the power you _both_ wield,” Marr said, effectively stopping the fight he _knew_ was coming. He studied Eggsy for a moment. “You have another reason for this. Something _beyond_ this one tradition. Or am I mistaken?”

Eggsy sighed internally. “No, my Lord, you are _not_ mistaken.”

“I thought as much.”

Eggsy thought he heard a note of approval in Marr’s voice. “My Lord, if I might? _Why_ do you think I want an apprentice?”

“No Lord may become a Darth without having had at least one apprentice. Is that not your reason?”

“Oh! Right. That.” Eggsy laughed softly. “Yeah, I hadn’t… even been thinking about that. This is… selfish, not personal gain.”

“And how is it selfish?”

Eggsy shrugged. “She’s my little sister. I haven’t seen her since she was a couple weeks old. I want to keep her a while.”

“Trotting out a dead tradition to manipulate us into allowing him to break the law and follow his passions,” Nox said, sounding amused. “I don’t believe his request could _be_ more in the spirit of being a Sith.”

Marr looked to each Darth on the Council before returning his attention to Eggsy. “We will allow this, under _two_ conditions.”

Eggsy nodded. “And they are, my Lord?”

“First, when she comes of age, she _will_ report to the Academy to complete the trials. If she survives, she will be returned to you.”

“Perfectly acceptable, and she _will_ pass them.”

“Second, as you are still Darth Vindicta’s apprentice, he will oversee the training of your apprentice. He will keep the Council updated bimonthly. If we do not agree that she is being trained to the standard of the Academy, she _will_ be turned over for proper training.”

Eggsy laughed. “Darth Marr, if he thinks I’m not training her properly, you won’t have to wait for his report. He’ll take her to Korriban himself.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Cos he’d rather a hundred weak acolytes fall than have one unworthy Sith among us.” Eggsy paused. “And really, if I’m doing that shit of a job, I’d rather someone else teach her at that point.”

“Very well. Then you may take her as your apprentice.”

“Thank you, my Lords.”

Eggsy bowed and Daisy copied him. He left the chamber and she was right on his heels. They went out to the taxi platform and waited for one to arrive. While they waited, Daisy took the opportunity to run around in the rain, although she never went far from Eggsy. 

“I get to learn to be a Sith now, right?” she asked once they were in the taxi.

“That’s right,” he said with a grin. He’d been _wanting_ to grin since the Council had agreed to let him train her. But it seemed… inappropriate in the Sanctum. “When we’re training, I’m not Eggsy, not your brother. I’m Protervitas and I’m your Master.” He paused and then quickly added, “In the sense of Master and apprentice, not like I own you.”

She nodded. “Yes, my Lord!”

He ruffled her hair. “Ain’t teachin’ you right now, baby.”

“Oh, okay!”

“Learnin’ to be a Sith is hard work. I mean, probably no harder than moisture farming on Tatooine with the threat of a beatin’ always over your head.” He sighed softly. “But I’m gonna have to be demanding at times; I might even yell. But it won’t be cos you’re in trouble or cos I’m gonna hurt you.”

“Okay.” She bit her lip. “How long before I can make lightning?”

Eggsy laughed softly. “Babe, as soon as you can do it. Was the first thing I learned.” He stroked her cheek. “We’ll work on that first, yeah?”

She beamed at him. “Yes, my Lord,” she chirped and then started giggling.


	49. Chapter 49

JB and Eggsy’s ship droid met them outside Harry’s stronghold. He went over to them while Daisy played in the rain. JB rushed him and his ship’s droid came to meet him

“Master, after I unloaded the ship, I thought to bring JB here. I did not expect your mother would have returned to your stronghold until you had seen her.”

“Thanks for bringing him for me. Couldn’t exactly take him into the meeting.” He grinned. He would have _loved_ to have brought his pet tuk’ata into the Dark Council chamber.

“Certainly, master. If you don’t need me further, I’ll return to the ship and finish with my post-flight procedures.”

Eggsy nodded. “Go ahead.” He walked over to Cadmus and nodded toward Daisy. “That’s Daisy, my other little sister.”

Cadmus nodded. “New identity recorded.”

“Thank you,” Eggsy said and went inside.

He’d expected Daisy to remain outside, but the door slid open again and she was right behind him. Harry’s droid got her a towel and let her dry herself off.

“You could’ve kept playin’, babe.”

She shrugged. “I knooow.”

“I’m not gonna vanish on you. Promise.”

She blushed shyly. “I _know_, I just-”

Her words were cut short by a scream of pain coming from the training room. Eggsy tipped his head back and a soft, pleased sigh escaped him. It was Dean screaming, and there were few sounds lovelier.

“That… would be your father screaming,” Eggsy said. “Relish it, apprentice. These are not the screams of a slave being beaten at a master’s whim, but that master getting what he has _long_ deserved.”

She peered around him and looked down the corridor to the training room. Eggsy sensed no fear from his young apprentice. Curiosity, cold anger, but no fear. He watched her for a moment and then held out his hand to her. She took it and he led her back to the training room.

They stepped into the doorway, and Eggsy was fully expecting to see Merlin in there. He was a little surprised to see his _mother_ in there with him. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

“Very good, Michelle,” Merlin was saying.

He had his back to Eggsy and was standing beside Dean’s restraint table. There was a black, spherical droid hovering on the other side of the table; an interrogation droid. Michelle was standing at the foot of the table, a controller in hand.

“When one is extracting information from a subject and the subject has given said information, what is next?”

She bit her lip and then smiled. “Turn up the intensity and try again, cos you can’t be sure they’ve given _everything_.”

“Excellent,” Merlin said with a nod.

Michelle looked down at the controller, started to turn up the intensity, and then stopped. “How far up? Do I turn it all the way up?”

“Not to the max setting yet, lass,” he said. “You want to start _small_; if you go too quickly, you run the risk of killing your subject sooner than you plan.”

She nodded. “Alright.”

She adjusted the dial again and then pressed the button. The droid sent out an electric shock and Dean started screaming again. She held it for a slow count of ten and then shut it off again. She looked to Merlin, who nodded, and she beamed. 

“Trainin’ my mum for Intelligence then?”

Michelle looked over, a shyly embarrassed look on her face. “It’s… no. You don’t mind, do you?”

Eggsy laughed softly. “No, course I don’t mind.” He nodded toward the door. “Come say ‘hi’.”

“Fuck,” Michelle groaned, looking suddenly worried. “She heard him, didn’t she? That’s… a _wonderful_ first impression, coming home to find mummy torturing daddy.”

Daisy shyly peeked through the doorway. “It’s okay… Eggsy said I should relish his screams.”

Michelle’s jaw dropped and she stared at her son. She knew he could be cold and she understood that he was Sith… but teaching his little sister to enjoy listening to her piece-of-shit sperm donor being tortured was… another thing entirely. Even, well, if he was the one who’d gotten _her_ doing it. That was _still_ different; she was an adult.

He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. “Well… here’s the thing, mum. Did, um, did Harry tell you she’s Force sensitive?”

“Yes…”

“Yeah, so… I convinced the Dark Council to let me train her instead of sending her to Korriban.” He smiled nervously. “So… she’s… gonna have to learn anyway.”

“She doesn’t have to go to Korriban?”

Eggsy shook his head. “Not until she’s of age for the Trials. And… once she passes those - and she _will_ \- she’ll be back to me again.”

She looked between her son and her so long-lost daughter. Why did it bother her _more_ that her little girl was going to be Sith? After a moment, she realized it was because she thought of her daughters as innocent things who’d never been through what she and Eggsy had.

“Daisy…” she began hesitantly. “Do you _want_ to be a Sith? It’s alright if you don’t. We’ll… figure something out.”

Daisy grinned at her. “I wanna be one! I wanna be able to shoot lightning at people and kill people’s owners. Zap! Zap! Agh, noooo!” She collapsed dramatically. “And then all the slaves are free.” She beamed up at Eggsy.

“You know, that ain’t somethin’ _most_ Sith do. _Most_ Sith think slaves should be slaves. So does the Empire.”

She pushed herself up so she was sitting, a thoughtful frown on her face. “Well, there’s _lots_ of galaxy that isn’t the Empire’s. They won’t care if we go around the _other_ parts doing that, right?”

He grinned at her. “No, baby, they won’t give a fuck.”

She jumped up. “Can we do that, then, Eg-” She stopped herself and shook her head. “Can we do that, then, _Master_?”

Fuck, how was he ever gonna say ‘no’ to her? How was he going to look at that face, that beaming smile, and tell her she couldn’t have something? He’d… just have to learn to as he trained her. If nothing else, his own Master could guide him.

"Yeah, babe, we can do that. We can do a _whole_ lotta that."


	50. Chapter 50

The apprentice tipped her head back, letting the near constant rain of Dromund Kaas wash over her face. She had only been on Korriban for a month, but she had missed its soft caress on that desert world; the ever-present sound of it on the roof; the smell of good, damp earth. This world with water everywhere had been her only _real_ home and she was happy to be back.

Her Master had trained her for two years before allowing her to learn the ways of Madness. Once she had learned to tap in to a victim’s life force and could do it on command, he taught her his secret; his secret, he told her, that the Dark Council must never know. He taught her the ways of the Dark _and_ the Light; of War _and_ Peace. It was only a year later when he gave her an odd token and sent her into the jungle.

After she returned, she and her Master took an extended leave from Dromund Kaas. They spent two years away, traveling to neutral planets. Almost all of them sought an alliance with the Empire by the time they left again. The Dark Council was pleased with them, pleased enough to grant the title of Darth to her Master. The Council wondered about their secret; they didn’t tell. It was another secret the Dark Council must never know. 

They had traveled the planets, seeking out slavers and slaughtering them until they got the message that _these_ Sith were out for their blood. They had paid off the docking bays to hold all ships and shuttles. The slavers who plead for their lives _were_ spared; spared and then taken aboard their ship. Once their work was finished on a world, they took the slavers to Kessel and sold _them_, and cheaply.

She had been fifteen when they returned. She reveled in her home, fully aware that she would be leaving again in less than a year. Leaving, but only for seven short weeks. Her Master had given her one final set of instructions before she took the shuttle to Dromund Kaas. He had told here there was no killing _inside_ the Academy. She took his meaning well. Once she and her fellow acolytes were in the tombs, she killed them; two in the first tomb and two in the second.

The Overseer had been less than pleased with her. She had dismissed the Overseer’s displeasure quite simply. The point had been for her to be the last one alive, not for them to complete four trials with one of them dying each time. The Overseer had felt her disrespectful for putting it just that way, but the apprentice could sense that the Overseer _was_ pleased with her anyway.

She sensed her Master’s presence on the terrace before she heard him. She turned to face him and bowed respectfully. “I’ve returned, Master.”

He smiled at her and held his arms out; she grinned at him and hugged him. “I knew you would.”

“How’s the kid?”

“Eh…” He slung an arm over her shoulder and they started toward the door. “Still disappointed, still trying to _make_ herself Force sensitive. I’ve told her that you were… kind of a fluke… _and_ that sometimes it doesn’t show itself right away.”

She grinned up at him. “Can’t help it if she wants to be like her big brother and sister.”

He laughed. “No, can’t.” He grinned. “She said she’d be like Uncle Merlin and go into Intelligence if she couldn’t be a Sith.”

“Oh, no,” she giggled.

They stepped through the door. JB lifted his head, barked a greeting at Daisy, and went back to sleep.

“Merlin sat her down and _very_ bluntly explained what Intelligence was like. She didn’t… fully get the whole mind control bit. So he explained it to her, but not in words. A couple mind tricks and Force holds later, and she looked at him and said ‘_fuck_ that’.” He grinned.

She laughed and then hummed. “Should I go train?”

“Fuck no. We’re takin’ you out to celebrate.” He nodded toward the stairs. “Tilde bought you somethin’ for the occasion. It’s up in the guest room.”

Eggsy watched her run up the stairs. He felt his old Master behind him, and then Harry’s hand on his neck. He looked up at the pureblood, who pressed a kiss to his forehead. He leaned against Harry and let himself be wrapped up in his arms. He was, for the moment, at peace.


End file.
